By Jay Scott Kanes

Clever songwriting that tells stories relevant to listeners and often amuses them gives Dave Gould's brand of country-folk music a mighty appeal. To get the most from his new CD, Truck For Sale, it's best to stop all other activities and listen intently.

“It's an alternative folk/bluegrass CD full of humor, politics, insults and even some Canadiana,” said Gould. Original and unique, he's a Canadian singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, a career musician and visual artist based in Hamilton, Ontario.

Truck For Sale makes a catchy country-flavored title. Oddly, no song shares the name, which raises a pertinent question. Did Gould really sell his truck to finance the CD?

Although I'm less than totally impressed with some songs on this new 12-track collection, I found enough to like: three tracks especially and many snippets of others. The 36-minute album’s shiniest gems are “Broken Wishbone", “I Love Musicians” and “Buy the Farm”.

Well, I'm gonna limp home,
Like a broken wishbone.
It's amazing how close
We live alone.
From “Broken Wishbone”, Written by Dave Gould, Truck For Sale album, 2011

Later the focus shifts to lifestyle issues.

I love musicians,
Those funny little men
Who brag about how much they drink
And still wake up again....
Glamorous, glamorous.
We're all grown-ups in here.
Let's cut to the chase.
We're all a disgrace.
It's time for AA,
Not another beer.
Wake up, Lennie.
Wake up now.
There's no time to doddle.
We gotta get down to the children's tent
And try to be their role model....
And the lights shine,
Shine real bright,
And you smell worse than a pig.
But you smile a while.
You go out in style.
You’ll be lonely
When you make'er big.
From “I Love Musicians”, Written by Dave Gould, Truck For Sale album, 2011

Meanwhile, “Buy the Farm” probes the aspirations of ordinary people.

Come on, baby,
We'll buy the farm.
We'll do it today.
We won't delay.
Let's buy the farm
With good looks and charm....
Have all we want,
Then pay it back.
That's the plan.
Squeeze, squeeze, squeeze,
All they please.
We'll get when we can....
Lease a car.
Drive real far.
Rent the boat
Till it won't float.
Go in debt
Till we're heavyset.
Oh, baby,
Our dreams come true.
From “Buy the Farm”, Written by Dave Gould, Truck For Sale album, 2011

The music, sounding sparse and basic at times, highlights the lyrics. Much of the instrumental work comes from Gould on guitar and percussion. Steve Didemus (lap steel, dobro), Chris Cracknell (accordion, electronics), Tanya Amyote (vocal harmonies), Gerry Gregg (bass) and Steven Fuller (fiddle and viola) play supporting roles.

Gould knows about studio work. He's played mostly percussion, “hitting things” as he calls it, on 30-plus CDs for other recording artists, among them Brooke Miller, Nathan Wiley and Catherine MacLellan. Also a savvy onstage showman, he's even known to regard toilets as musical instruments.

Truck For Sale gives Gould his second solo project. The first, The Passion of Bobby Bedeque, appeared in 2005, inspired by a decade of living in Canada's smallest province, Prince Edward Island.

Six years passed between Gould's first CD and his second. He promises a third much more quickly. He plans “an experimental collection of found sounds and quirky songs with twisted rhythms” to be called ADAD (Attention Deficit Artist’s Disorder). Set for release in early 2012, it sounds ripe for careful listening too.

For more information: www.reverbnation.com/davegould

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