Hayden
Everything I Long For
Hardwood Records/Sonic Unyon
This album is a little surprising for those of us whose image of Hayden is a lone figure on a stage pounding on an acoustic guitar and rocking to his own internal rhythm. The addition of vocal harmonies, drums and bass taken care of by Brian Richards and Joao Carvalho add a new dimension to Hayden’s deeply personal music.
The leadoff single, “In September”, is currently in heavy rotation on CFNY. As for a follow-up single, just about any track on this powerful album could be the next radio song. As much as the phrase has been overused, Hayden truly does speak to a generation.
Being distributed by Sonic Unyon (also distributors of Tristan Psionic, Shallow, and treble charger) will ensure that Hayden’s audience will spread beyond the boundaries of The Big Smoke. It will be interesting to see how, or if, this album will influence Hayden’s live performances. The songs sound good with the added arrangement, but it would be unfortunate if Hayden got a band together and the Toronto music scene lost a unique solo artist.