John Connolly

"One of the most rewarding aspects of this job is the opportunity it provides to discover emerging local and regional artists.

It also provides me with a unique vantage point to monitor the growth of those artists as their music evolves.

From that vantage point I have, over the past three decades, seen a number of East Coast artists grow successful careers on both the national and the international stage.

Singer-songwriter John Connolly, I believe, is destined to join their ranks.

That the Charlottetown-born artist has everything he needs to take his career to the next level is evident from his recently released debut album.

The self-titled release, distributed by Charlottetown-based Sandbar Music Group, showcases the talents of a songwriter and a performer who has grown by leaps and bounds, pushing his own personal musical envelope as his influences expand and his willingness to work with other artists opens new doors for him.

Produced and engineered by Paul Millner at Shell Lane Studios in P.E.I. and CBC Studio 211 in Toronto, the album features seven Connolly originals, plus a co-write with Patty Rossiter and a fine cover of the late, great Gene MacLellen’s Hard As I Try.

His originals embrace a number of different styles of music from Springsteen-esque rock and folk to roots- rock, country, jazz and blues and he appears equally at home with all of them.

Connolly, who was featured this past summer in the Charlottetown Festival production The Ballad of Stompin’ Tom as the younger Tom, has a very flexible voice that lends itself well to this kind of diversity.

He also brings an honesty and a sincerity to his music that simply makes you want to listen to what he has to say, a quality that at times seems in short supply out there.

Connolly, who’s also written a musical about Terry Fox, is very much on the right track with this set, which features guest appearances by some of P.E.I.’s best side players, most notably guitarists Chris Corrigan and Ian Toms, bass player Ross MacDonald and drummer Rich Knox.

Choice cuts here include Miramichi, From Now On, Great Fire, Indian Summer and Connolly’s cover of Hard As I Try.

It should be noted that earlier this week Connolly received three Music P.E.I. Awards nominations for this record.

Rating: 3 1/2 stars out of 5"

-Doug Gallant


- The Guardian Newspaper

“I was moved to tears. John Connolly has created dynamic music that soars.”

-Toronto Producer Michael Rubinoff - Michael Rubinoff

"His songs speak beyond his years.”

-Music Blogger Eric Meyers - Eric Meyers

“This bloke makes roots-rock, country-blues, whatever you want to call it, you know the sound. It's beautiful. The voice, it's stunning….I'm also told he's won 2008 Album of the Year at the PEI Music Awards for his self-titled record (which is brilliant), and I hope the rest of the country becomes more aware of this man and his music. His is the sort that really could have a broad appeal, the ability to jump into that sort of Gordie Sampson quasi-mainstreamivity, without changing a thing about the music.”
-Music Blogger Chris Weaver
- Chris Weaver

“John Connolly delivered a tremendous performance – rocking the crowd with his stacked band…Connolly is the kind of stage-commander that is uniquely captivating; and as a writer, his songs seem to be each compelling pools of water in themselves that represent vast oceans of emotions beyond their words”

-Todd MacLean - The Guardian Newspaper