The Commissionaires – Shelter Me (LP)
Rootsy, but eclectic. Soulful and adventurous folk rock.
The Commissionaires are a new soulful roots outfit formed by indie singer-songwriter Jacob Moon and Newworldson's Joel Parisien. Their debut record, entitled “Shelter Me”, is an 8-song (10 on the Deluxe Remastered CD) sonic journey with themes of justice and overtones of the soul's struggle for redemption. Crafted as a remedy for these turbulent times, “Shelter Me” features a combination of traditional gospel numbers and new arrangements of songs written by artists like Ben Harper, Stevie Wonder and Buddy Miller.
The idea for The Commissionaires came to Jacob Moon in the spring of 2016, when Moon and Parisien, two fiercely independent front men, sat down for coffee for the first time. In many ways this was a historic meeting, since their careers had run parallel for years, each his own man in full command of his direction. Over the course of a few hours, they traded stories about where they had been: Jacob having just completed a 20-year anniversary album and celebration tour and with Joel winding down with his band Newworldson. They compared notes about their influences, their experiences, and their aspirations for the future and found plentiful common ground. It was there, in the place where their endings met this new beginning, that the Commissionaires was formed.
The next phase was getting together and listening to songs that might form the basis for a set of 'new Standards' in the soul gospel genre. For this, they went to Solomon Burke, Aretha Franklin, The Staples Singers and took it all the way up to modern purveyors of the style, such as Jonny Lang and Buddy Miller. Eventually a group of songs came together, the demos were hastily recorded, and the master recording date was set for the week after their first gig together. Newworldson bassist Rich Moore and famed session drummer Lyle Molzan rounded out the quartet. There would be guests too, like slide virtuoso Joey Landreth and gospel singers Chantal Williams and Quisah Wint. The end result is an album that is hard to out away and not play just one more time.
“Shelter Me” is everything you would expect from a band fronted by two seasoned performers who have surrounded themselves with solid backup musicians. The CDs eight songs (10 on the deluxe remastered CD) are a showcase of Rhythm and Blues/Soul/Gospel songs from traditional classics like “His Eye Is On The Sparrow” to Stevie Wonder’s 1970 hit “Heaven Help Us All”. ~ Robert White, CD/Music Review
Side 1:
- Shelter Me
- None Of Us Are Free
- On My Feet Again
- Heaven Help Us All
Side 2:
- Someday We’ll All Be Free
- I Want To Be Ready
- The Storm Is Passing Over
- His Eye Is On The Sparrow
Format: LP
Artist: The Commissionaires
Release Date: 2016