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Kevin Drew

Spirit If...

Arts & Crafts | 2007 | Album

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Kevin Drew is the first out of the box in the “Broken Social Scene Presents” album series. The idea is basically to allow the songwriting members of BSS a chance to strike out on their own while still keeping members of their old band involved and playing on the albums. Some might question whether the “Presents” discs can be called true solo albums but you can’t blame Drew, and those who follow, for not wanting to stray too far from the comfortable confines of their Canadian collective. After all, if it ain’t broken – why fix it!

That being said, Drew’s Spirit If . . . marks a strong debut for the “Presents” series with songs that bounce back and forth between fractured rants like the acidic “F—ked Up Kid” and the slightly ironic “TBTF” (that’s Too Beautiful to F—k) to top-notch production numbers like “Lucky Ones”. Sure, there are shades of BSS – Ohad Benchetrit is listed as one of the producers and some other familiar names like Amy Millan, Feist and Brendan Canning are also along for the ride. Overall though, it’s highly recognizable that Kevin Drew, himself is the driving force on this disc. It’s his vision that leads the parade and the others fall in – keeping a respectful two or three steps behind.

Drew wears many different hats and tries out a wide variety of styles throughout Spirit If . . . but he seems most at home on the more straightforward tracks. “Lucky Ones” is a trip back to the great studio songs of the 1970s when hit after well-crafted hit emerged from places like the Record Plant. Being radio-friendly is one thing but the maverick side of Kevin Drew, the “let’s try anything and everything” trait that led him to be anointed “frontman” of BSS hasn’t been completely sidelined. “Farewell to the Pressure Kids” finds him exercising sounds and exorcising anxieties that the sheer force and size of Broken Social didn’t allow for. In the end, Drew has created a body of work that is intimate but has enough well-timed explosions to keep listeners intrigued.

Amy Wagner