Destined to be the ideal soundtrack to glorious summer in its alternately spirited and languid days and always-convivial nights, If It Feels Right – the hotly anticipated new studio album from Canadian folk/pop giants Lunch At Allen’s – arrives June 16.
Featuring chart-topping musical veterans Murray McLauchlan, Cindy Church, Marc Jordan and Ian Thomas – who have collectively shifted a staggering 25,000,000 units as both solo artists and songwriters for stars like Chicago, Josh Groban, Bonnie Raitt, America, Santana, Cher and Rod Stewart – Lunch At Allen’s is that rarest of beasts: a genuine musical democracy.
If It Feels Right soars as a result.
Featuring 12 brand new, original tracks alternately written and performed by McLauchlan, Church, Jordan and Thomas and abetted by a crack team of session hands, the self-produced If It Feels Right confidently shifts from plaintive balladry (Jordan’s ‘Nothing Comes from Nothing’) to campfire-ready folk (McLauchlan’s ‘If The Wind Could Blow My Troubles Away') to sweetly nimble pop (Church’s ‘Little Bird’) to the insistent, clap-along groove of the title track (courtesy Thomas).
“Singing and playing on each other’s songs is part of the joy of LAA,” Thomas confirms, adding that “Murray got the ball rolling and booked us in for bed tracks at Toronto’s Kensington Sound which is where we rehearsed for the first Lunch At Allen's Tour.
“This one felt a little more adventurous,” Thomas says. “We ended up convening at my studio in Dundas with everyone contributing various harmonies and instrument solos.”
Not surprising given the four member’s enduring reps as tireless troubadours and electrifying live performers, Lunch At Allen’s will take If It Feels Right throughout Canada this sesquicentennial, kicking off in Campbell River, B.C. June 12 and culminating in Summerside, PEI on October 29.
Taking their name from the legendary restaurant and scotch bar in Toronto’s east end frequented by the band members, Lunch At Allen’s has been fruitful from the get-go. If It Feels Right follows in the tradition of four previous and widely fêted albums: 2012’s Zuzu’s Petals: A Lunch At Allen’s Christmas, 2010’s More Lunch At Allen’s, 2007’s Catch The Moon and 2004’s Lunch At Allen’s.
With each, McLauchlan, Church, Jordan and Thomas pinpoint and then soundtrack the radiance of both the ordinary and the extraordinary with unrivalled precision and accessibility. The new album is also a fitting addition to the stellar discographies of these acclaimed musicians noted for chestnuts including (but not limited to) McLauchlan’s ‘Farmers Song,’ Jordan ‘Marina Del Rey,’ Thomas’ ‘Painted Ladies’ and Church’s inimitable work with Quartette and Great Western Orchestra.
So... If It Feels Right this summer, be sure to tip the proverbial hat to the artistry of Lunch At Allen’s.
Lunch At Allen’s 2017 Tour Dates
Jun., 12, 2017 Campbell River, BC Tidemark Theatre
Jun., 13, 2017 Courtenay, BC Sid Williams Theatre
Jun., 15, 2017 Nanaimo, BC The Port Theatre
Jun., 16, 2017 Victoria, BC McPherson Playhouse
Jun., 18, 2017 Vernon, BC Vernon & District Performing Arts Centre
Jun., 19, 2017 Kelowna, BC Kelowna Community Theatre
Jun., 20, 2017 Kamloops, BC Sagebrush Theatre
Jun., 21, 2017 Chilliwack, BC Chilliwack Cultural Centre
Jun., 22, 2017 Duncan, BC Cowichan Theatre
Jun., 23, 2017 West Vancouver, BC The Kay Meek Centre
Oct., 19, 2017 Sydney, NS Highland Arts Theatre
Oct., 20, 2017 Pictou, NS deCoste Centre
Oct., 21, 2017 Halifax, NS Rebecca Cohn Auditorium
Oct., 22, 2017 Liverpool, NS Astor Theatre
Oct., 25, 2017 Moncton, NB Capitol Theatre
Oct., 26, 2017 Saint John, NB Imperial Theatre
Oct., 27, 2017 Fredericton, NB Fredericton Playhouse
Oct., 28, 2017 Charlottetown, PEI Confederation Centre of the Arts
Oct., 29, 2017 Summerside, PEI Harbourfront Theatre
Publicist : Eric Alper
www.ThatEricAlper.com