By nearly any standard, 23-year-old Canadian recording artist Tim Chaisson makes a positive impression. He’s thoughtful as a songwriter, adept and versatile as a musician, modest and personable as an individual. There’s much to like about Tim.

The same goes for a new album, Broken Hearted Beat, starring Tim and his band, Morning Fold. Already having worked together for a few years, Tim and the band – Tian Wigmore, Nat Lamoureux and Brien McCarthy -- sound relaxed but business-like. On each of the 12 tracks, they know what they want and set about achieving it.

Tim’s known for blending pop, rock, Celtic and folk sounds, but Broken Hearted Beat has an easy-listening feel. He and Morning Fold traveled to Spicewood, Texas, to work on it with producer Gordie Johnson, formerly of the band Big Sugar.

You are somewhere floating high above these city streets.
I’m down here, down under dancing to a broken hearted beat,
Drowning in this crowd, but I dance alone.
I know you are the one.
This scene is not my scene. It makes me feel undone.
Living for the dark and hiding from the sun.
This song is not my speed. It’s moving way too fast.
It’s flying past.
And the beat goes on….
This broken hearted rhythm makes it hard to move my feet.
From “Broken Hearted Beat”, written by Tim Chiasson, Joel Plaskett and Gordie Johnson, recorded by Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold, 2009

Once hailing from Bear River, Prince Edward Island, Tim now lives in Charlottetown, the provincial capital. He has three past solo albums -- Even in 2006, Something Acoustic in 2004 and a self-titled one in 2002. Recently, he and the band have toured in Central Canada.

Tim’s music always takes shape from careful songwriting. For Broken Hearted Beat, he co-wrote each song, working with Johnson and with Nova Scotia’s Joel Plaskett, another of Atlantic Canada’s top musicians.

The album’s best song may be its first track:

Come on, baby, close the blinds.
I wanna lay low with you.
I’d trade it for a night out or two.
It could never hurt just to stay inside tonight.
With all the pricey places we could be,
You should know my company is free.
When everybody else is on the go,
We’ll just lay low.
From “Lay Low”, written by Tim Chiasson, Joel Plaskett and Gordie Johnson, recorded by Tim Chaisson and Morning Fold, 2009

Other tracks include: “Slippin Away”, “Don’t Lie to Me”, “Perfect”, “You and I Somehow”, “I’ll Have You Know”, “Would You Go So Far?”, “Souris River Girl”, “Double Knife”, “Real” and “Take a Breath”.

Tim comes from a super-musical clan. His father, brothers, uncles and cousins, dozens of Chaissons, perform as fiddlers, pianists and guitarists.

Personally, Tim plays guitar, fiddle, bass, drums, piano and mandolin. “In my family, we always had instruments to play,” he said. “I think that’s why I learned so many.”

As a teenager, Tim toured North America with a family band, the Celtic-rock group Kindle, later renamed Celtic Tide. Individually, he has a big collection of PEI Music Awards.

Grainy photography on the cover of Broken Hearted Beat and on an enclosed booklet leaves something to be desired. Song lyrics in the booklet need better presentation and proofreading.

But the music will please most listeners. Rich in meaning and soothing to the senses, these are songs for which appreciation grows the more they’re heard. That’s typical of Tim’s music, and these may be his best songs yet.
 
For more information: timchaisson.com

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