J.R. Shore

J.R. Shore
An Impeccable Shine (Independent)


Every once in awhile an album comes out of the woodwork and totally grabs me, and J.R. Shore has grabbed me with an iron grip.
I must have played Shore’s brilliant debut disc half a dozen times since it came into my possession, and it keeps getting better. If this Calgarian doesn’t rise out of obscurity this Edmonton boy will start cheering for the Flames.
With barrelhouse piano, a voice that has elements of Randy Newman, Tom Waits, Gram Parsons and even a little Stephen Foster, his songs travel from New Orleans to Cowtown and all points in between, with beautiful backup including a generous dollop of Dixieland. “Every note of every song can cure you of a world gone wrong,” to quote the man himself.
Shore spent a couple of years in Nashville to hone his songwriting skills, and it worked. He sure knows how to tell a story and develop characters in three or four minutes, with gems of lines like “it’s cold enough in Cowtown to turn goin’ into gone.”
I’ll keep coming back to this one for a long time.
– By Mike Sadava - Penguin Eggs Magazine

Local singer-songwriter J.R. Shore may just be releasing his first album, but he certainly has well developed songwriting chops. After spending time (and recording a portion of this album) in Nashville, Shore has a knack for wearing his influences on his sleeve, though thankfully tends to channel the spirits of his favourite musicians rather than simply aping them.

On An Impeccable Shine, Shore lets his appreciation for Tom Waits shine with some dark storytelling and also lets his country side swing, but he’s at his best when he plays it relatively straight. His love for Waits is more than matched by an affection for Gram Parsons, which is exercised through some gorgeously sung, elaborately spun tales. The album’s two best songs, ”The Ballad of Jesus Rodriguez” and “Southward,” see Shore and singer Jan McKittrick crooning Gram and Emmy-style, but they still manage to make it their own. Beautifully written and expertly played, this album showcases an Albertan talent to look out for.

- Elizabeth Chorney Booth

It has been a long road for Calgarian singer/songwriter J.R. Shore. He entered the music scene in 2003, relocated to Nashville to learn the ropes, and has since returned to Calgary to enter and win songwriting contests at Calgary’s Folk Festival. Now, he finally sees the fruition of his efforts in his solo debut, An Impeccable Shine.

The record, like its cover, carries a sepia coated feeling of nostalgia, apparent from the opening notes of first track ‘The Grandest View.’ Taking on a slower pace through many of its tracks, beauties such as ‘Southward,’ ‘The Ballad of Jesus Rodriguez’ and ‘Run to Reno’ are hypnotizing, while fun and upbeat numbers the likes of ‘The Alberta Rag’ and ‘Knockin’ On My Door’ successfully prevents listeners’ interest from waning.

An Impeccable Shine is an impressive effort from an up and coming Alberta artist that seems more than deserving of the accolades cast upon him during his journey to this point. With a classic voice for the genre, Shore creates a work that will make any of his future efforts well worth a listen.
- Trent Depue

"A songwriter who successfully weaves vivid images with unique and
interesting storylines that slide through tastefully cemented melody lines,
Shore sounds like he's absorbed the finer points of composition that fuel
Tom Waits and Tom Russell songs." - Peter North

Sounds a bit like what Tom Waits might sound like if he tried his hand at
Broadway." - Reagan Sulewski

A debut worthy of his early praise - Peter Hemminger

An Impeccable Shine - Top 10 albums of 2008 - Les Semeniuk

An Impeccable Shine - Top 10 albums of 2008 - Peter North