Fans had to wait for a decade - Canadian The Tea Party had called it quits, but 2011 the trio got back together for some gigs at festivals, then a tour – and now the moment has come to rejoice and celebrate the release of their 8th album “The Ocean at the End”. I had described this panic-after-ecstasy feeling already elsewhere – meaning the sudden fear “what if I don´t like it” when you finally hold the object of your desire in your hands... In this case – as in America and in Australia the CD was released a bit earlier than in Europe – the first raving reviews spread via social media prevented me from such panic attack...
I have always adored this power trio Jeff Martin, Stuart Chatwood and Jeff Burrows, as they created something that is more than just music, “Sister Awake”, “Save Me” or “Halcyon Days” are songs that got me through some rough times. This album provides pretty soon another candidate for an all-time-fave “life saver” list, namely the second track The Black Sea - awesome, goose-bump-inducing, a masterpiece. “The Ocean at the End” presents what I have always liked about this band – an catchy, compelling, heartwarming and inspiring combination of Rock, Blues and Eastern / Indian tunes, rhythms and instrumentation, crowned by Jeff Martin´s unique dark, slightly husky and powerful voice. No wonder why the singer often evokes associations with Jim Morrison, as there are also his looks and his mystical, spiritual - often cryptic – poetry, which fits the music of this band so well.
Just check their latest video “Water´s On Fire”: www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXpE9PKFO14
With this CD, The Tea Party pulled off the stunt to go “back to the roots” - Eastern sounds, rhythms and instruments in a Western Rock´n´Roll context - and at the same time provide a contemporary make-over for their sound. Listen to “Submission”, for example, or “Brazil”, where the “update” rather concerns a certain social criticism in the lyrics. Naturally they don´t forget about the real mean Blues guitar (The Cass Corridor) and even provide an instrumental drift-off-into-space with “Into The Unknown” (the weird sounds here come from a Theremin).
I really hope that the Canadians will receive more attention outside their home country, and maybe even drop by here in EU for a tour or at least some festival gigs, as for me this is one of those “must-know/must-see” acts in the Rock universe – which I would love to see live on stage again. Go get this album!
1 The L.O.C 4:14
2 The Black Sea 3:59
3 Cypher 3:58
4 The Maker 4:11
5 Black Roses 5:29
6 Brazil 4:44
7 The 11th Hour 4:59
8 Submission 3:54
9 The Cass Corridor 2:41
10 Water´s On Fire 4:45
11 The Ocean At the End 8:37
12 Into the Unknown 5:02
Klaudia Weber
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