Ontario Red - “Keeping Guard”
We do not have a whole lot of details on the USA-based musical trio Ontario Red, but their music speaks for itself. Today, they arrive on our blog with the old-timey, folksy vibes of “Keeping Guard,” an intimate number that explores the “inner guard some of us have, that keeps us from admitting the hard truth and seeking redemption.”
The track begins with the remarkably soulful vocals of Sereda, warmly akin to artists such as Ashley Davis and Alycia Lang, as well as a dose of the grit that made us fall in love with the likes of Sierra Ferrel. Sereda’s delivery is sultry and breathy, gliding into the listeners’ ears like honey melting into a hot biscuit.
Accompanying the vocal performance are songwriters Tommy Harkey and Matt Thaler, utilizing the sounds of rich acoustic guitar and deep bass to paint a vintage-tinged sonic landscape. “Keeping Guard” is initially so delightfully raw that it sounds as though the three of them have set up shop in your living room to offer a private performance.
As the track progresses, some wonderful vocal layers fall into place, adding infinite width to the soundscape as a barebones, brushed rhythm is deployed. “Keeping Guard” harkens back to the days when bands would gather around a single microphone in order to reveal their supreme craftsmanship. You will not find any hints of digital tomfoolery in its two-minute and twenty-six second duration, and this is exactly why we cannot get enough of it.