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Oct. 17 - Oct. 22, 2004 |
Matt Dusk's Two Shots
Young Toronto crooner now shines on screen and stage
By Kerry Doole
Originally Published: 2004-08-29
Call it the power of television. We interviewed rising young crooner Matt Dusk in the elegant confines of the Windsor Arms Hotel a full year ago. He'd just completed his major label debut CD, but that album, Two Shots, wasn't released until this June.
The delay made marketing sense, for Dusk just recently took a key role in The Casino, the new reality TV series from Mark Burnett, the mastermind behind Survivor. It is not a mega ratings hit, but it still gives Matt Dusk weekly exposure to millions of potential new fans every week. He has a featured acting role in the series, as in a recent episode where his attempt to be promoted to the casino's main entertainment room is thwarted, funnily enough, by fellow Torontonians Barenaked Ladies!
Handsome looks and smooth vocal stylings have Dusk slotted as a potential major new star. Certainly, no expense was spared by his record label, Decca, in the making of Two Shots, a very impressive album in the mold of the classic big band singers of the jazz era.
Recording at London's famed Abbey Road studios with a 42-piece string section from the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra doesn't come cheap. They're employed on six songs, while the Toronto Symphony and London Session Orchestras are also used extensively.
Their presence thrilled Dusk. "For every singer it is always a dream to have the opportunity to record with a big orchestra. To hear the strings coming through demos that we had programmed, where you think 'yes, I could hear this with an orchestra.' Then you hear it and your jaw drops to the floor!"
A large number of other tracks were recorded in Toronto, with local producer/songwriter Terry Sawchuk. Such talented players as Domenic Troiano and Roberto Occhipinti are also featured.
Writers featured on the album include Lennon and McCartney ("Please Please Me") and U2's Bono and The Edge. They wrote "Two Shots Of Happy, One Shot Of Sad" for Frank Sinatra, but Ole Blue Eyes never got to record it before his death.
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