The Assassin's Apprentice

by Stephen Fearing

Overview

On his first record for Canadian independent label True North (his previous two have since been re-released by them), Fearing teamed with Los Lobos' Steve Berlin as his producer. The result was a more polished work than his previous and the musicianship throughout is excellent. Contributions from Richard Thompson and Sarah McLachlan augment Fearing's skilled acoustic guitar playing, which is highlighted on the instrumentals "Lark and Duke" and "Martin's" (dedicated to guitarist Martin Carthy). The archetypal singer/songwriter, Fearing's songs on this album reflect on topics such as loneliness ("Down the Wire"), love ("Give It Up"), and life on the road ("The Life"). He celebrates his "Canadianness" in the invigorating "The Longest Road" and dabbles in the blues with "Lonesome Whistle," popularized by Little Feat more than a decade earlier.

Product Details

Release Date:	07/29/2008
Label:	True North
UPC:	0620638008423
catalogNumber:	84
Rank:	152493

Tracks

1. The Assassin's Apprentice
2. Give It Up
3. The Longest Road
4. Expectations
5. The Station
6. Lark and Duke
7. Down the Wire
8. Echoes
9. (I Heard That) Lonesome Whistle
10. The Brilliance You Need
11. The Live
12. Martin's

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Stephen Fearing   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals,Multi Instruments,Vocal Harmony
Richard Thompson   Electric Guitar
Sarah McLachlan   Vocal Harmony
Steve Berlin   Hammond Organ,electronic percussion
Paul Blaney   Bass,Electric Bass
Sal Ferreras   Percussion
Dave Kershaw   Keyboards,Hammond Organ,Wurlitzer
Ashwin Sood   Percussion,Drums,electronic percussion,Falsetto
Doug Schmidt   Accordion
Rob Menzies   Human Whistle,Small Pipes
Peggy Lee   Cello
Dennis Esson   Trombone
Mike Holder   Pedal Steel Guitar,Lap Steel Guitar,pedabro
Sandy Scofield   Vocal Harmony

Technical Credits

Steve Berlin   Producer
Paul Blaney   Assistant Arranger
Stephen Fearing   Arranger
Greg Reely   Engineer