Halfway through the second track on Plaskett's third solo outing "Truthfully Truthfully," the former Thrush Hermit frontman laments the defection of all his Halifax musical peers to bigger cities, asking "All my friends, where did they go?/To Montreal! Toronto!" Being the last man standing after the Halifax Pop Explosion hasn't seemed to hurt Joel Plaskett's songwriting abilities, however. Sophomore effort "Down At The Khyber" was steeped in heartbreak and Canadiana, and after a warm reception at home and internationally (favourable British press from Q, Mojo, and NME), expectations are justifiably high for this latest offering. Featuring a sound more reminiscent of Thrush Hermit's 70's rock tendencies than of Plaskett's alt-country solo leanings, "Truthfully Truthfully" seems to be a blatant attempt to gain a wider audience. Deceptively straight ahead rockers such as the aforementioned "Work Out Fine" and "Written All Over Me" would be right at home on rock radio. Not that this is a bad thing; it takes skill to write songs as good as these, and as usual, Plaskett delivers a couple of instant classics. Even the vaguely ridiculous "Extraordinary" managed to reel me in. The only significant misstep here is the inclusion of former Thrush Hermit outtake "Come On Teacher," a throwaway track on an album full of otherwise solid songs. Hopefully, Plaskett will continue down the road of "Khyber"-ish tracks like the beautiful "All the Pretty Faces" and "Mystery and Crime," and continue to demonstrate his considerable and ever-evolving abilities. The limited edition version of "Truthfull Truthfully" is available from www.maplemusic.com with two additional tracks, both of which are more than worth your while.
-Dave Mix, Jan.07.04

Truthfully Truthfully