The press release for Prayer of the Woods takes great pains to reassure fans that Tony Dekker’s first solo album is little more than a “musical interlude” and “personal tangent” between Great Lakes Swimmers releases. Talk about an undersell – Dekker is at the top of his sad, folky game here. Prayer sees the musician in his comfort zone. After five albums with the Great Lake Swimmers –the last of which was their first ever recorded in an actual studio – it’s refreshing to hear Dekker settle in to his role as a stripped-down, twangy troubadour.
Recorded in an old church in rural Ontario, the album is decidedly melancholy and unabashedly Canadian. Nowhere is this more evident than on the album’s standout track, “Somewhere Near Thunder Bay” – which recounts a wintry, nighttime drive through the Shield. Perfect for a fall afternoon dozing at the cabin or driving down the highway, Prayer is a sparse and thoughtful ode to the Canadian wilderness. (Nettwerk,greatlakeswimmers.com/) Andrew Friesen