Not a false note in Shane Murphy’s Street Money Miracle

This past week, Big Fat Productions (the people behind Bran Van 3000) announced the CD release of Murphy’s latest album Street Money Miracle in stores across Canada. One quick listen is all it takes to realize that Murphy’s reign as Montreal’s best kept secret is about to end. Street Money Miracle showcases Murphy’s unique cross-over style by seamlessly blending folk, blues, soul, reggae, and funk genres. Murphy’s all over the place; in a good way. Shades of Lenny Kravitz seep through in ‘70s inspired, funkadelic tracks like “Deputy” and “The Right Side”, while “Fool’s Die” (a personal favourite) evokes a more folksy blues sound.

Local success stories like Arcade Fire, the United Steelworkers of Montreal and Paul Cargnello confirm that musicians in this city co-exist and create in an environment that fosters communal cooking. You throw everything in the pot and create your own dish. What Murphy seems to have cooked up is a unique West End sound; he’ll probably be the first to tell you that.

Of Irish descent, the Canadian-born Murphy has performed and gigged at over 1,000 shows across North America since first hitting the local Montreal music scene in 1996. His talent has been requested as the opening act for artists such as Grammy award winner Adele, April Wine, British Reggae and Grammy award winning band Steel Pulse, and Our Lady Peace, among others. Murphy has also appeared at dozens of local and internationally attended festivals including Canada’s premier showcase for best new music, the 2008 North by Northeast conference, as well as the world renowned Festival International de Jazz de Montreal in 2006.

In Street Money Miracle, Murphy, in his distinct gruff and raspy voice, elaborates on familiar themes of gritty urban life - love gone wrong, bad money woes, “enemies and friends” revealing themselves to be “turncoats in the end”. You can practically see the dark, smoke-filled room and taste the lukewarm beer as you listen to his voice.

This is, for lack of a better term, “night-time” music; the kind you want to listen to in the Witching Hour; when life’s doubts seep through and everything oozes of questions left unanswered and decisions indefinitely delayed. Murphy’s got a lot of stories to tell about what he’s “done in the dark”. Pull up a chair and order another round; it’s going to be a long night.

In support of his album, Murphy has commenced a multi-city trek across Canada, with a number of local shows on the agenda. For exact dates and locations. visit: www.myspace.com/shanemurphyevents