CD reviews: Honeyloaf, Hawksley Workman

Honeyloaf - The Honeytone EP (independent)

You might think a husband-and-wife duo with a name like Honeyloaf would put out a record dripping in saccharine sweetness, but The Honeytone EP has something to say about assumptions. True, there’s some lovin’ content (particularly the fun, ’50s-esque “I Can Hear You Talking”) but mostly this six-song EP (which features five originals and a pretty decent cover of “Ring of Fire”) is a great collection of tunes that have elements of blues, country and folk brushed with a tinge of nostalgia—but not the sticky-sweet kind.

—Amanda Farrell

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Honeyloaf
(with the Drawls)
7pm Saturday, February 21
Alix Goolden Hall, 907 Pandora
Tickets $20, proceeds benefit Heart and Stroke Foundation
250-386-6121 • honeyloaf.ca

Hawksley Workman - Los Manilicious (Isadora/Universal)

Without a doubt, Hawksley Workman remains one of the most unpredictable singer-songwriters in the Canadian music scene—nine albums in, for example, and I still have no idea what to expect from him. (Will it be tender dystopic love ballads or a fistful of cock-rocking power-glam?) And his latest, Los Manilicious, is a real stylistic grab bag, with 13 tracks echoing everyone from early Ozzy to the Police, David Byrne, Franz Ferdinand, the Go Team and Yes, all blended together in Workman’s own unique style. This ain’t the gentle crooning of Treeful of Starling nor the sexy pop of Lover/Fighter, but it’s got some great tracks: the driving “Kissing Girls (You Shouldn’t Kiss),” the soft “Oh You Delicate Heart” and the quirky “The City is a Drag” are clear standouts. If you like your albums with the same kind of song all the way through, skip this—but if you like intelligent, aggressive rock that sticks to your ears, Los Manalicious is a winner.

—John Threlfall

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Hawksley Workman
8pm Wednesday, February 25
Royal Theatre, 805 Broughton
Tickets $30.50 • 250-386-6121
hawksleyworkman.com