Mike McKenna Jr. - “Long Sable Isle”
Photo by Annie Diotte
Cape Breton Island, Canada-based singer-songwriter Mike McKenna Jr. returns to us with more of his stripped-back and raw craftsmanship via “Long Sable Isle.”
The dark and melancholic sounds of an acoustic guitar get this one started, effectively setting the mood for this intimate and haunting jaunt through loss and isolation. And the fact that “Long Sable Isle” resides within a gritty and somber plane of existence is what has ultimately led to us featuring it on the blog– this is most assuredly our wheelhouse.
McKenna’s vocal performance brings more of the same, delivering lines of lyrics that evoke a seemingly endless sea of grief. His voice remains unscathed by modern production tactics and, at times, sounds as though he is singing the song directly into your ear.
Even as the arrangement expands to include a brushed drum rhythm and a melodic string arrangement, “Long Sable Isle” never loses touch with its genuine and folksy authenticity. A delightful vocal harmony finds its way into the track, adding another wondrous layer of width and firmly nailing the song to our niche.
Some deep bass adds weight as the chords from an ethereal organ gently pad the distant sonic landscape. “Long Sable Isle” also comes complete with a fiddle solo, followed by an acoustic guitar lead, but it is the honest nature of McKenna’s voice that will undoubtedly bring you back to this one, over and over again.