Dennis Ellsworth

Pour Some Sugar On This

I was excited when I opened up the fifth and latest CD from Prince Edward Island’s Dennis Ellsworth called Romantic As It Gets. Turns out that it was produced by David Barbe, who also plays bass on the recording. Could it be that David Barbe, the bassist for Bob Mould’s incendiary ‘90s band Sugar? Nah, it couldn’t be. What would David Barbe be doing on a roots rock album that owes a lot in terms of sound to Wilco’s debut A.M.? Well, it turns out it is THAT David Barbe, so I’m sure that Sugar completists will want to give this one a go. That is, if they don’t mind something that sounds an awful lot like early Wilco, and perhaps the odd duff track here and there. For instance, the opening cut “Shakin’ On the Plank” barely registers at less than two-and-a-half minutes, and doesn’t quite congeal as it is not fully formed. And ballad-y songs such as “Shines the Sun in Your Mind” feel more like lazy Conway Twitty. So, yes, not everything works on Romantic As It Gets, despite being pretty a propos as an album title, because it’s either too laid-back or just doesn’t quite stick.

However, if by now you’re really wondering what David Barbe is doing on this thing, considering that many may know him best for his fiery thunka-thunka bass playing alongside Mould (or even might go back slightly farther to Barbe’s earlier outfit, Mercyland), it’s pretty clear on “Make It Alright”. The song basically has Jeff Tweedy written all over it – in fact, if you can’t imagine Tweedy singing it, well, I don’t know what else to say. It’s not an all out rocker, but has that casual country feel that Wilco was known for early on. So, yes, you can bandy about that term “dad rock” to describe Dennis Ellsworth, and I suppose that wouldn’t be too far off the mark, but if he does encapsulate a feel, he does it fairly well. Ellsworth comes with accolades – he won, in 2013, Music PEI awards for Roots Contemporary and Male Solo Recordings of the year. Last year, he was named one of Canada’s Top 10 new artists by the CBC Searchlight Contest. That’s among other things. So take that as you will, the guy does have talent. Romantic As It Gets is probably going to be best appreciated by those who love a specific group’s sound – so there’s not too much that’s unique here – but, hey, David Barbe produces and plays on the thing. What more could you want?

Rating: 6 outta 10

Album: Romantic As It Gets
Artist: Dennis Ellsworth
Label: Busted Flat
Release Date: 2015-09-11