Colin James - Limelight
Rating 4/5

On Limelight, Colin James' ninth album of original material (he has ten including a best-of from 1995), he puts together a gauntlet of musical styles, running the gamut from blues to pop-rock, and opens strong with the hearty 'Better Way to Heaven.'

Limelight lays host to mostly original material with a few covers thrown in to accent James' influences. Bob Dylan must surely be singing, or rather, incomprehensibly mumbling his praises for Colin's version of 'Watchin' the River Flow' and a mandolin sporting go at Van Morrison's 'Into the Mystic' highlights the album and wraps it up on as good a note as any artist could hope for. Strong vocals in the slow paced 'Misplaced Heart' and the blues number 'Weeping Willow Tree' lead the pack of new songs, while a beautiful acoustic solo manages to save the otherwise lacking 'On My Way Back to You,'

James provides rich vocals and demonstrates fully his mastery of the guitar, from acoustic to wah-wah, making Limelight everything you would expect from one of Canada's best.