About Jeff Stuart & The Hearts
Carving out space in the crush of bands hoping for listener attention can be a tough one, but even more difficult is finding a distinctive sound to call your own. Jeff Stuart certainly didn't blunder into the intricate yet subtly arranged roots-pop music he and The Hearts (Gavin Dunn, Dwayne Martineau, Chris Quesnel, Tim Resaul, and Michelle Sabourin) served up on 2009's Black Dogs Blue Giants; it came about as the result of years of trial and error shared equally among them. More than a standout local release in Alberta, it was a standout Canadian release of the year, upping the ante for independent records and repaying diligent listening with fresh sonic delights well after most other albums are relegated to the back of the cd rack.
Live, The Hearts more than pull of this sophisticated enmeshing of keyboards, acoustic guitar, pedal steel and fiddle, letting camaraderie and musical inquisitiveness direct them beyond just a live restatement of the album. With six strong willed yet supportive musicians jostling for space in the four minute pop song you'd expect instrumental trainwrecks, but The Hearts are that rare breed of players, instinctively bowing to the needs of Stuart's songs over their own egos. It's served them well, too; Black Dogs Blue Giants has done terrifically on charts across Canada, with music lovers of every distinction showing appreciation for this sparkling gem of a band.
"It's elegant, sophisticated, daring, and brilliantly creative, but more than anything, just as the band's name suggests, this music is indeed from the heart." -CKUA Presents: Alberta Disc-overies, September, 2009-