Wondrous Traveler is the debut album of the duo consisting of Cara Luft and JD Edwards, it's not a JD or Cara album but a powerful end product of what happens when wonderful artists, good tunes, great singing and inspiring energy gel, putting two of Canada's most loved and respected songwriters and performers together on one album is a masterstroke of pure genius, this album pulls out all the stops. It highlights not only the songwriting qualities of both, but also showcases mastery of their instruments and their sublime harmonies throughout making this recording soar to new heights.
Locked away in Kelowna BC for two weeks to work on the project, the isolation away from everyday life has worked superbly well, the production and touches on the recordings have enhanced what we already knew, that Luft and Edwards are two amazing talents, and to capture the true performance of both and the true essence of each song, creating an amazingly earthy, rootsie sounding ideal combination of two artists coming together to make great music.
The Vocal blend is incredible and effortless and takes twists and turns that one would never expect, ' Home ' starts off with a simple banjo intro and opening lines from Cara with her wonderful vibrato style, amongst it all appears a choir which adds incredible power to a beautiful song.
Another example of the way the duo gel so well is when JD opens ' Something To Hold Onto ' with strong vocals he leads the song throughout, added to the mix is the absolutely wondrous harmonies of Cara which takes the song way beyond brilliant, behind it all is subtle yet incredibly effective percussion and instrumentation that enhances the entire track.
To pick just two songs on the album is to highlight the experience throughout, my suggestion is to lie back turn the sound up, close your eyes and let The Small Glories transport you to their very personal performance, you will feel as if you are in the moment, as if they are right beside you in the room giving you the concert of a lifetime, if the intention of the end product was meant to do that, they have achieved it spectacularly well.
Stevie Connor