DAVID LEASK - Underneath

DAVID LEASK is an accomplished singer songwriter from the Toronto area, but originally hails from Edinburgh. His first claim to fame was for taking top honours on the BBC National Rock School. That was 30 years ago. Since making the transatlantic trip, and basing himself in Canada, David has released three highly acclaimed albums, and won numerous accolades for his songs.
“Underneath” is his fourth album, and features a mix of celtic, country, folk and rock sounds that blend together nicely.
Leask co-wrote 11 of the album's 13 tracks. Songs such as the title track "Underneath", “Photosynthesis” and “One Second Look” shed refreshingly mature perspectives on personal relationships. Others like “Freedom by the Barrel”, “Ready to Buy” and “Breathing” go even deeper to tackle and examine social conditions such as war mongering, rampant consumerism and the struggle for peace amidst chaos.
Some of the tracks are a shade pop or rock (notably “Photosythesis” and “Ready To Buy”), but there is plenty to shout about this emigrant. “Stronger Back”, one of the songs that he didn’t write, caught my attention. It has a nice folksy, yet gutsy feel to it. “Highway Home”, another song with a soft celtic lilt to it, really stood out for me. It’s the sort of song fellow exScot Canadian, Johnny Reid would have a huge hit on.
There’s some nice fiddle in the opening of “Burdens & Blessings”, which also caught me attention.
I also liked to bouncy “One Second Look”, with its catchy instrumentation, and “All My Love”, which has quite a crossover appeal.
The album closes with a Darrell Scott & Beth Neilsen Chapman song, “This Time Round”, which has a simple piano cello and whistle arrangement, which really shows off David’s vocals and the songs simplistic beauty. It’s a lovely version.
David is another talent that has had to move from Scotland to pursue his career. But we can still enjoy his music. “Underneath” is available from the usual download sites or www.davidleask.com