Richard Turgeon – Shungite

To paraphrase a geek-famous expression, Richard Turgeon boldly goes where no man has gone before – at least not within the confines of the power pop world. With his latest, Shungite, the hooky choruses we expect are still present however the guitars are even more dominant than usual. I couldn’t help but think of Foo Fighters or Nirvana as I was listening to it.

The lead off track track (and title track) is a full frontal guitar assault and the first song I think I’ve ever heard that uses an earth mineral as its inspiration. The super-hooky chorus makes it an excellent opener. “Song of Discontent” vacillates between light and heavy, creating a level of anticipation or discomfort that works extremely well. With “Small Fry”, Turgeon turns common idioms into a memorable rocker. His mind is a seemingly endless source of hooky, guitar driven concoctions.

Richard’s songwriting is unique in a world of copycat art. That’s why his releases often find themselves on best of lists, as is often the case here (see 2023’s Life of the Party, 2022’s Rough Around the Edges, or any number of his previous albums). Self-produced and bursting with raw energy, his latest is yet another winner from a prolific writer who just keeps getting better and better. Get Shungite on CD at Kook Kat Musik or at Richard’s Bandcamp page. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED