Norm Hacking Live / Cut
Roses / Stubborn Ghost /
Skysongs... A Writer's Collection
One Voice: A Tribute to Norm Hacking, Vol.
1 (various artists)
Orange Cats Make the Very Best Friends (with
Kirk Elliott)
updated November 28, 2002
Norm
Hacking Live (1977)
... Norm's biggest talent
is singing solo in concert. Indeed, by listening to his first album,
Norm's warm personality is sharply reflected in his music.
Kiyoshi Funatsu, Coast
to Coast Magazine
January 1980 Issue, Fukuoka, Japan
Cut
Roses (1980)
Five of the tracks
from Cut Roses are on Skysongs... A Writer's Collection
(1996, to be reissued soon).
... On Cut Roses,
Hacking's music seems to be more rhythmic than on the first album...
due to the very strong backup band featuring Ken and Chris Whiteley
of The Original Sloth Band, Kirk Elliott and George Meanwell of
Short Turn, Ernie Smith and his Roots Revival, and others. Because
of the various accompaniments the music is well refined and well
played. Still you can detect the asset of eastern U.S. styles of
Steve Goodman, John Prine and Jonathon Edwards...
Kiyoshi Funatsu, Coast
to Coast Magazine
January 1980 Issue, Fukuoka, Japan
... Norm Hacking understands
music. His own acoustic guitar work is smooth yet solid. More important
than this, is the tasteful way he augments it with just the right
amount of whatever kind of help he needs. Sometimes this amounts
to only a pedal steel and a bass; sometimes it can mean cellos and
violins or even an entire reggae band (Ernie Smith and The Roots
Revival).
...Hacking's songs capture
a very real slice of life. They are easy to relate to yet neither
simple nor boring. They capture all the love, hate, lust and tenderness
involved in just trying to get by. Hacking, like John Steinbeck,
understands the depths of very simple situations and the simplicity
of very complicated events. The lasting impression is that Norm
Hacking is a first class song craftsman.
Richard Christy,
The Whig-Standard Magazine
Kingston, Ontario, 1980
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Stubborn
Ghost (1988)
Ten (all but two)
of the tracks from Stubborn Ghost are on Skysongs...
A Writer's Collection (1996; remastered and reissued with
lyrics in 2001).
... Lyrics deal with
real human issues - love, hard work, loneliness, casual liaisons,
drinking, children (the album's dedicated to Hacking's 6-year-old
son Ben) and family ups and downs - clearly drawn from his own experiences.
Warm and personal, Hacking's
work heard is embellished by a virtual who's who of the local folk
and roots music fraternity - Ron Nigrini, Jim Layeux, Tim Harrison,
Chris Whiteley, David Whitten, John Sheard, Matt Zimbel and John
Arpin, among others.
... A wonderful, wordy
and sentimental set of songs that obviously mark Hacking's passage
through some sort of mid-life crisis also testify to his resilience
and poetic gifts. Title track, an account of a meeting between the
grizzled, aging writer and the spirit of his childhood ambitions,
is as fine a piece of songwriting as has ever been committed to
vinyl.
Greg Quill,
The Toronto Star, June 24, 1988
Every tune on this album
is a winner and the pacing is superb... gets you hooked right away...
"Video Love" is out and out hilarious... a rich baritone
that seems to fill up a room... title tune stands out in a crop
full of winners. Rich sense of melody with touching lyrics... a
superlative effort.
Dave Gillmor, Yukon
News
Eloquent and evocative...
a depth of insight and humour sets these songs apart as gems. There's
a sparkle to this album.
Liz Janik, Music Express
Norm Hacking's Stubborn
Ghost shines with the kind of inspired honest light that
comes from good songwriting.
Backed by a stellar
group of local musicians and sounding uncannily like early Cat Stevens,
Hacking's grizzly but melodic vocals and acoustic guitar lead the
band through strong anecdotal songs of experience...
There's enough humour
on this record to break the prevailing grip of introspection, and
while most songs are cradled comfortably in the folds of acoustic
strings, electric fretless bass and synthesizer add sparkle. This
is a collection of really nice songs, ideal for quieter moments.
Kim Hughes, NOW Magazine,
Toronto, July 7, 1988
A rich storytelling voice
draws the listener into the web of his sensitive lyrics and compelling
folk/country melodies... Stubborn Ghost oozes with
quality.
Karen Hepburn, Toronto
Sun
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Skysongs...
A Writer's Collection
(1996; remastered and reissued in 2001)
This CD contains
five tracks from Cut Roses (1980), ten from Stubborn
Ghost (1988) and four recorded for this "best of"
project; remastered and reissued with lyrics and full credits
in 2001.
The music on Skysongs
is some of the most prolific songwriting I've heard from an independent
folk artist in some time... Ranging from solo acoustic performances
to full band productions, this disc will take you on a fantastic
journey, as seen through the eyes of the writer, through rich storytelling
and excellent guitar playing.... A wonderful find and one that will
put a smile on your face. It did to me.
Mike McNeill, The
Sunday Times
Owen Sound, Ontario, April 21, 1996
...Skysongs
can be highly recommended. Hacking has an engaging
singing voice and his lyrics flow effortlessly. Young songwriters
should purchase this album as an outstanding example of songwriting
craftsmanship. Hacking can turn the most mundane experience into
a fine song. Toronto folkies will particularly enjoy the Hacking
classic, "Love at the Free Times Cafe." There are some excellent
musicians and backup vocalists on the album...
Gene Wilburn,
Northern Journey 2
A Guide to Canadian Folk Music on CD
Reference Press, 368 p, 1998
... Skysongs,
a 19-track trove of Toronto-based Hacking's best-ever pennings pulled
together from various indie releases as a debut CD.
A resident and sometimes
host of just about every open stage in the region, Hacking wears
his heart on his sleeve and his head in his hands, turning out deft,
immaculately concise snapshots of life's winners and losers - wondering
occasionally whether one might actually be the other.
And from the plaintive
"Stubborn Ghost", the violin-gilded "Thunder and Lightning" to the
just plain fun "Once Was Enough", Hacking's take on humankind is
inspired by the knowledge that - win, lose or draw - we'll all be
the butt of fate's joke in the end...
Mitch Potter, The
Toronto Star, April 27, 1996
These songs, this collection,
are a tribute to the writer's craft. Each one is a model of economy
and precision. The story songs paint perfect images of character
and plot; the love songs are heartfelt, sometimes sad, but always
hopeful. Hacking sings a tribute to Steve Goodman which captures
the essence of that great songwriter...
There are fun songs,
reggae songs, even a Christmas song is this rich collection. The
music is memorable, the lyrics more so, and the performances are
outright wonderful.
David Kidney, GreenmanReview.com
(Skysongs)
Toronto singer / songwriter Norm Hacking has been
writing, recording and performing beautifully crafted songs for
30 years... Listen to the 19 songs comprising Skysongs and you
will hear first-hand Hacking's warm voice, as eloquent lyrics
take flight on the wings of ear-pleasing melodies.
Robert Reid, The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo),
April 6, 2002, pE7
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One Voice:
A Tribute to Norm Hacking, Vol. 1
(Various artists, 2001)
A stellar group of songwriters recorded 18 of
Norm Hacking's songs in the first volume of a tribute to his songcraftsmanship,
and most performed at the release concert in November 2001. Click
here for more info, including the list
of songs and artists (linked to their own websites for more information).
... rich and varied collection...
There are 18 songs on this CD, all composed by Hacking, but played
and sung by a who's who of Canadian folk musicians... celebration
of a master songwriter... they are well written, melodic works.
They deal with universal themes of love, and loss, and stories
of people trapped by both...
If you are a Norm Hacking fan and
want to hear his songs done in a different way, then pick this
album up. If you've never heard of Norm Hacking and crave some
solid folk music, then pick this album up. If you are just a lover
of good pickin' and singin' then pick this album up!
David Kidney, GreenmanReview.com
(One Voice)
... Despite the changing winds of
trend, fashion and taste, Hacking has stayed the course, a fact
that has not been lost on other artists devoted to acoustic music.
The proof is in the range and diversity of the artists who contribute
to ... One Voice, the first of a projected two-volume
collection.
The 18-track tribute, which demonstrates
how good songs lend themselves to a variety of interpretative
approaches, includes contributions from Chris Whiteley, (John)
Sheard, (Michael) Smith, (Ron) Nigrini, Rick Fielding, Nancy White,
Jory Nash, Marianne Girard, Jim Layeux and Brenda Lewis and Tony
Quarrington and others.
One nice thing about the liner notes
is that they include comments from the artists explaining why
they chose specific songs.
Robert Reid, The Record (Kitchener-Waterloo),
April 6, 2002, pE7
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Orange
Cats Make the Very Best Friends
Norm Hacking and Kirk Elliott (2002)
[Norm Hacking] is a big guy, with
a big beard, and a big heart. People like him. He plays acoustic
guitar and writes some of the best songs you're ever likely to
hear. This time he has provided us with something you don't see
much anymore... a concept album ....The songs are catchy, cute,
sometimes thoughtful.... This is homey, friendly music, just right
for Norm's warm cozy voice. The production is lively with a rich
guitar sound... very nice. This album is not a ground-breaker
-- no deep philosophy or virtuosic performances here. But if you're
looking for a something to play for the kids that won't drive
you up the wall, don't look any further
David Kidney, GreenmanReview.com
(Orange Cats)
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index
updated November 28, 2002
