Jeremie Albino: Our Time in the Sun Review

From busking the streets of Toronto, to playing packed venues across Canada and the U.S. – Jeremie Albino has really come a long way. His fourth studio album Our Time in the Sun, released on November 1st via Easy Eye Sound is a proper celebration of that journey. The album showcases that raw street-busker emotion, wrapped up in real artistic maturity. The Canadian singer-songwriter explores different styles including retro soul and roots rock, with an occasional sprinkle of country and blues. In other words, anything and everything that could fit under the Americana umbrella; or in this specific instance – ‘Canadiana’.

The very first song on the A-side is titled “I Don’t Mind Waiting”. This soulful ballad was one of the four singles released to announce the album. It starts out with nothing but Jeremie’s voice and an acoustic guitar before the rhythm section joins in. This is then boosted by clever brass parts in the chorus. It’s a very catchy emotional rollercoaster of a song. The mood is lifted straight away with “Baby Ain’t It Cold Outside” – a country-influenced earworm that brings to mind the good old CCR in certain moments. A laidback drumbeat starts off “Let Me Lay My Head” – a song in which the artist lyrically cries for a hiding place, some comfort, and someone to hold on to.

Dan Auerbach’s signature style echoes throughout this release. The title track is no exception to this – it was produced to sound so careless yet so compact at the same time. The vocals sound as if they’re playing out of a blown-out speaker, while the instrumental parts are so full and fuzzy. This production style truly is a form of art in itself. Picking the pace up, “Rolling Down the 405” is destined to be a road trip anthem and will surely find it’s way to many travel playlists.

What makes this album truly special is the fact that despite the rich and colorful arrangements, all songs would sound amazing even if played only on an acoustic guitar – meaning the fans can surely expect both full-band and stripped-back solo acoustic renditions in the future. Similarly, some of these tunes will surely become popular choices for strumming on the front porch on a warm summer day. One good example of this is the beautiful, bubbly love song “So Many Ways to Say I Love You”. A grungy guitar riff leads the way for “Struggling With the Bottle” which goes on to develop into an upbeat track fusing multiple genres. The fusion approach continues with “Give It To Me One Last Time” representing a soul, rock, folk, and pop jambalaya.

‘Bluesing’ it up with slide parts, “Dinner Bell” features a devilish groove and a killer guitar solo that must be a real treat to experience performed live. Although unique to the Albino’s sentiment and vocal-style, “Since I’ve Been Knowing You” contains certain instrumental and structural elements that slightly resemble Aaron Frazer – another retro-soul artist and Easy Eye Sound alumnus – coincidence?! Country-infused “Gimme Some” sets the stage for the album finale – a short and sweet, acoustic “Hold Me Tight” concluding with Jeremie repeating the words ‘fade away’ into a symbolic fade-out ending.

Our Time in the Sun is a collection of 12 wonderfully written songs bringing old-school vibes and slowing this fast-paced world right down for a short while. It feels as though the artist really poured his heart and soul into this one: so genuine, speaking so effortlessly and directly to the listener.

The Review: 8.5/10

Can’t Miss Tracks

– I Don’t Mind Waiting
– Rolling Down the 405
– So Many Ways to Say I Love You
– Dinner Bell

The Big Hit

– I Don’t Mind Waiting