World War 3 and One Kind Favour are pure Hallett in tone and delivery.
Matt Carter
It’s been almost five years since Keith Hallett released new music of his own. When his last album, Hell West & Crooked came out, Stephen Harper was still Prime Minister. Needless to say, it’s been a while. Too long, frankly.
Thankfully, new music has arrived via the Nova Scotian roots label Big Turnip Records. Last week the Dartmouth based imprint posted the tracks World War 3 (Hallett) and One Kind Favour (traditional), both recorded live off the floor at New Scotland Yard Studio with engineer Thomas Stajcer.
“I have known Keith a bit over the years from Bearly’s House of Blues in Halifax,” said Big Turnip Records founder Dylan Jewers. “I book at New Scotland Brewing in Dartmouth and have booked him to play a few times over the last year and a half. He is one of my favourite Canadian artists.
“I asked him back in the summer of 2019 if he would want to do a single with Big Turnip Records. He was into it. I asked for a new original and a traditional and he did just that,” said Jewers.
World War 3 and One Kind Favour are both pure Hallett in tone and delivery – dirty, down tempo songs driven forward by his signature thumbed bass lines and effortless melodies – a perfect representation of a true east coast original.
Both tracks are available for purchase through the Big Turnip Records’ Bandcamp page. Funds raised through digital sales will go towards pressing a proper 7” single in the year to come.