The Do Good Assassins - Rome

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The Do Good Assassins – Rome
2012, The Do Good AssassinsEven in theearly days of his career, Ron Hawkins was lauded as one of the finest lyricistsCanada had to offer.  His penchant forsuper-imposing darkness and light in his songs won him a generation of fans, aplace in the Canadian Independent Music Awards Hall of Fame (as a member ofLowest of the Low) and a hard core group of fiercely loyal fans.  After flying mostly solo for a number ofyears, Hawkins felt the call to work collaboratively again on new material.  Thus was born The Do Good Assasins.  With the help of Derrick Brady (HawksleyWorkman, Dodge Fiasco, Stifler’s Mom); Jesse Capon (Katey Morley, Big RudeJake, Emily Weedon); Alex McMaster (Rob Szabo, Lily Frost, A Northern Chorus)and Steve Singh (Ron Sexsmith, Feist, Kiki Dee), Hawkins found a new vehicleand outlet for his iconic songwriting. The Do Good Assassins’ debut album, Rome, drops on November 1, 2012 and is a two-disc affair.  The first disc isa collection of ten rock and roll tunes that trade darkness and light.  Set two is a countrified collection thatmixes and matches emotions and musical hues with some pretty amazing results.

The Do GoodAssassins get rolling with “Sadder Days”, sounding like a snap pre-punk outfitfrom the early 1970’s.  Rock and rhythmand blues drive the band along here in an incredibly catchy and radio-readyopener.  Ron Hawkins and Steve Singhtrade vocal lines on “Fire Alarm”, a catchy mid-tempo number that’s reminiscentof Hawkins’ Rusty Nails days.  RonHawkins has long been one of the finest lyricists Canada has produced, and thatfact is reaffirmed on “Public Transit”. Opening with the line “Well it’s not so lonely to be all alone in a cityof kisses and tells”, Hawkins explores the dichotomy of loneliness andcloseness in a city where people are never far away but no one is trulyclose.  It’s an amazing piece ofsongwriting for anyone who has ever lived in a large city.“Propellers”is a list song that explores the push/pull of love through widely ranging andsometimes diffuse analogies.  Hawkins’voice brings a timely sense of melancholy to the proceedings in what ultimatelyends up being a song of aching need. This is a moment both tragic and beautiful; plaintive in presentationbut with tremendous emotional depths. “N.Y.C. vs. Jeffrey Brown” is a Steve Singh tune that’s amazingly catchytune with distinctively 1970’s accents.  Singhtakes the mic this time out and rocks out with undertones of funk andsoul.  Don’t expect to sit still throughthis tune; I don’t think it’s possible. The musical tour continues on “The Last Casanova In Town”, which has adecidedly retro feel and a catchy melody that you simply can’t get out of yourhead.  Once again, don’t expect to sitstill.

Classic RonHawkins songwriting is on display in “A Spy In The 9 To 5”, a song about thoseartistic souls who masquerade their way through the days so they can live inthe night.  Urgent, good time rock androll takes over for “Wrap You Up (And Take You Home)”.  You’ll dance your ass off in this song ofdance floor-born obsession, helped along by the guitar and horn-drivenarrangement.  The energy stays high for  “Home Sweet Home”, a high strung rhythm andblues driven rocker about friends who have fallen by life’s wayside; lonelysouls who met early ends.  Hawkins wrapsthis up with a classic couplet: “It takes a village to raise a child, it takesa city to bury it alive.”  The rockportion of Rome closes out with alife reflection for someone born in the era of JFK.  “Bobby Was The D.A.” continues the trend ofincredibly catchy rock and roll with a retro feel, while exploring theinsecurities of the Baby Boom generation.Disc two ofRome, the County Disc, finds Hawkins expanding on the country sound he has beendeveloping over his past two albums. “Capistrano” is a beautiful song of freespirited love and exploration. It’s a sweet and upbeat love song, more thesurprising for Hawkins’ frequent brushes with darkness and loss over the yearsin his songwriting. Alex McMaster gets a brief vocal cameo here and shows off asurprisingly rich and adept country voice. “Too Far” bears the instrumentalmarks of a country tune, but is more of a down-tempo pop/rock number. It’s wellwritten, but the country connection is tenuous at best, with the guitar worksounding more like something you’d find on a Lowest of the Low album.

"Swing Low" is a ballad full if melancholy reflections. The Do GoodAssassins find the beauty in a series of small personal tragedies, divining itin an incredibly nuanced arrangement around Ron Hawkins' affecting vocal line.Steve Singh once again takes the mic for "In The Chest Of The Land",a pragmatic and complex folk number that reflects optimism and hope.  "Spotlight" is an expression of frustration that one conception ofthe good life is not as brilliant as it might seem. The abject melancholy hereis powerful, and Hawkins nails the moment with a stellar performance."Rusty Chain" is a driven little country rocker about live gone sour,revenge and penance. This is classic stuff, replete with hooks and a lyricalflow that pulls you along. You won't be able to get this one out if your head.

The Do Good Assassins slow things down for the lonely beauty of "A LittleRain", while exploring the sometimes inevitable curves life throws ourway. Mournful pedal steel serves as a co-vocal for Hawkins' rough hewn lead. "UsEat Them" is a vibrant ad viral rocker dressed in country clothes thatwill get your feet moving. "Little Volcano" is a love song wroughtfrom the darkness of personal reflection. Hawkins finds beauty in the mundanedetails here, creating the sort of poetry for which he has become renowned; eventhe minimalist arrangement ads to the milieu. The album winds down with thelonely strains of "Rome", detailing the tendency of life and love todecay. Hawkins once again finds beauty in heartache, scratching out one of thefinest prices of songwriting he has done.

Wow.In thishighly digital age it is often the case that the concept of an album as a bodyof work is irrelevant.  The Do GoodAssassins apparently have not forgotten what it’s like to live with a songcycle from end to end.  The fact that Rome essentially encompasses two complete,distinct and incredibly well done song cycles is mind-blowing.  Ron Hawkins’ songwriting is as stark andbeautiful as ever it was.  Steve Singhbrings a brighter songwriting dynamic that serves as a very capable, ifoccasional balance.  The overall musicianshiphere is thrilling to a music fan. Nothing is overdone; nothing left unsaid.  Rome hasan organic and complete feel that is so often lacking in music today.  This is a must have for any music fan, and aWildy’s World Certified Desert Island Disc. This Do Good Assassins will hook you on the first pass and continue togrow on you.

Rating: 5 Stars (Out of 5)The Do Good Assassins will be performing a series of album release shows for album during the month of November throughout Ontario and here in Buffalo, NY. 

11/01/12 - The Horseshoe Tavern, Toronto, ON
11/02/12 - Mohawk Place, Buffalo, NY
11/03/12 - Mohawk Place, Buffalo, NY
11/09/12 - The Grad Club, Kingston, ON
11/10/12 - The Elmdale House Tavern, Ottawa, ON
11/16/12 - Murphy's Pub - Oshawa, ON
11/17/12 - The Merchant Ale House - St. Catherines, ON

Learn more:
www.ronhawkins.com
www.stevesingh.ca