Adrian Sutherland Releases Sophomore Album 'Precious Diamonds'
Released March 15th on his own label, Midnight Shine Music, the album was recorded in Nashville with Colin Linden as producer.
By: Michael Major Mar. 18, 2024
Northern Canadian roots-rocker-with-heart Adrian Sutherland is pleased to be releasing his second solo album, Precious Diamonds. Released March 15th on his own label, Midnight Shine Music, the album was recorded in Nashville with Colin Linden as producer.
Precious Diamonds features 10 tracks with contributions from legendary musicians like Mickey Raphael, Jim Hoke, and Linden himself. Following the album release celebration in Toronto on March 14th at The Cameron House, Sutherland heads to Ottawa for a show at the NAC Fourth Stage on March 22nd.
The album focus track, You Are Left Behind, is hauntingly melodious, deeply meaningful, and simply beautiful. It's the kind of song that moves listeners to feel something, and it also hits home personally for Sutherland, who witnesses challenging situations every day in his isolated location:
“Mental health is a real struggle for many people in remote First Nation communities. It’s sometimes very difficult for those struggling to find the help they need,” says Sutherland. “I've seen this first-hand, and it's heartbreaking to see so many slip through the fragmented services. You Are Left Behind is about acknowledging those who are struggling in life, and validating them as human beings who are having a hard time."
Four singles were released leading up to the album, including Adrian’s first-ever Cree song Notawe (Father), the semi-autobiographical My Rebel Spirit, and two compelling tracks Precious and Diamonds that, when combined, make up the title of the album.
“Making another solo album brought me so much pleasure as an artist,” says Sutherland, who draws inspiration for his music from his life, the land, his Cree culture, and other musicians that he admires. “My music has been inspired and shaped by so many artists I’ve listened to in my life, like the legendary Gordon Lightfoot who was a brilliant songwriter, and who shared such timeless music about what it means to be Canadian. Making this new album gave me the chance to share some of the stories of my people cinematically through music.”
“Writing and recording two full songs in my language makes me feel proud. It’s not every day you get to hear songs in Cree or any native language, and it feels kind of exotic to me. The feedback I’ve been getting has been so wonderful, and it means a lot to be able to share my language in this way,” says Adrian.
Says Colin Linden: “I’m honoured to have worked on this album. Adrian is so free… free of pretense, free of constraints, and free of limitations on where his music could go. His life experience and genuine musicality shine through in every note. He is really one of the best and most honest artists anyone could work with.”
ABOUT THE ALBUM:
Precious Diamonds was produced in Nashville by Colin Linden, who first worked with Adrian Sutherland during the pandemic. Cut-off from the rest of the world for two full years, Sutherland constructed his own recording studio inside a shipping container to be able to stay active in music.
In 2021 he worked remotely with two producers – Colin in Nashville and Tim Vesely in Toronto – to record his acclaimed debut solo album. When The Magic Hits earned nominations at the 2022 JUNO Awards and 2023 Canadian Folk Music Awards, while title track Magic Hits won Best Music Video from San Francisco’s 47th American Indian Film Festival.
Sutherland travelled to Nashville in May of 2023 – his first-ever trip to the United States – to record Precious Diamonds in the studio with Colin. The album features two songs in Omushkegowuk Cree, marking the first time Sutherland is making music in his mother tongue.
Musicians bringing their talents to the tracks (in addition to Linden who plays acoustic, electric, dobro, 12-string and resonator guitars) are legends like Mickey Raphael on harmonicas, Jim Hoke on saxophones, Jeff Taylor on accordion and dulceola, Gary Craig on drums and percussion, Jerry Roe on drums, John Dymond on Bass, Janice Powers on organ, and Brandon Robert Young on harmonies.
Additional writers on the album are brothers Chris Gormley and Matt Gormley, who co-wrote four songs with Sutherland: Diamonds, Feeling Of Love, Let It Shine, and Precious.
ABOUT ADRIAN SUTHERLAND:
Growing up in Attawapiskat First Nation in the Far North, a young Adrian Sutherland would listen to the local jukebox while dreaming about someday making music. That dream would become his saving grace, finding solace in songs by Tom Petty, Bryan Adams, Neil Young, Gordon Lightfoot, Coldplay, U2, and especially Kashtin – the folk-rock duo from Quebec who sang in Innu-aimun. They were popular in Sutherland’s James Bay region, showing him that he, too, could make music in his own language one day.
Four decades later that day is now here with Sutherland’s dazzling new album. “Precious Diamonds” melds rock, roots, folk and blues, revealing an extraordinary musician with the voice of a songbird, a boatload of talent, and an ocean of muses. And what about all of those musical inspirations from the jukebox? You can hear their influences at different times in the new songs.
Adrian released three albums as the frontman and founder of all-Cree rockers Midnight Shine before turning to solo projects. His debut single Politician Man is a protest song in response to the contaminated water crisis that gripped Attawapiskat in 2019. The impassioned anthem reached #1 on the Indigenous Music Countdown (IMC), won Best Performing Arts & Entertainment from Yorkton, Canada’s oldest film festival, and continues to screen and win awards from film festivals worldwide. Watch for an exciting new international version of Politician Man coming this year.
In addition to being a musician, songwriter and advocate, Adrian is a dedicated family man, a respected cultural leader, and a traditional knowledge keeper, fluent in Omushkegowuk Cree. He is passionate about empowering youth through arts, education, and land-based learning, and ensuring that young people have access to opportunities the bring hope.
Adrian is writing a book for Penguin Random House Canada about his life in Attawapiskat. He cares deeply about many causes, with authentic and insightful first-hand perspective on issues like contaminated water, food insecurity, housing shortages, and the need for mental health services. At this time of reconciliation, Adrian is hopeful for Canadians to walk together in love and respect.
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