This is Fitzgerald’s fifth album but we’ve not heard of him before; he’s a Canadian singer-songwriter so he’s been honing his craft over there.

It’s a nice little album, in the best senses of “nice” and “little”: it’s a cosy musical companion that will bring comfort to fans of Americana and folky roots in these dark days. It’s got a nice autumnal taste to it, as well.

The overall ambience is summed in opening track Heart Of It, which appears to be addressed to wife/partner, who is the heart of the house, and it’s got a true homely feel: music for sitting out on the back porch looking at the stars, glass of wine in hand while the kids sleep upstairs and the dog lies across your feet. Song titles include Our River, the title track Love Valley, I Love You, Harley Davidson and Back On The Farm.

There’s not a lot of variation but Fitzgerald has a warm voice and the music reflects it. A typical song starts off with his vocals and builds, some other instrument coming in to build it up a bit before it all fades out. Fitzgerald’s vocals are the main element; he’s touring the UK in 2021 and bringing his own tent, called The Greenbriar. We guess he’ll have a loop machine to lay some sounds down before each song, but it’ll mainly be his voice and acoustic guitar.

A man with a beard singing folk songs in a tent called The Greenbriar could appear a little pretentious but having heard the album, it’ll just sound warm and friendly.

A man with a beard singing folk songs in a tent called The Greenbriar could appear a little pretentious but having heard the album, it’ll just sound warm and friendly.

Help the artist make a living. Buy from: michaelbernardfitzgerald.com