Review: City and Colour’s Candid Confession

City and Colour/The Love Still Held Me Near/Dine Alone Music
Four out of Five Stars

Dallas Green, a.k.a City and Colour, has released seven albums under that aegis, made his way to the top of the Canadian charts, and scored four of his country’s Juno Awards, the Canadian equivalent of a Grammy. Nevertheless, he’s never given into the temptations of simply seeking commercial success, preferring instead to let his sentiment speak for itself.

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As its title suggests, The Love Still Held Me Near continues that tack, a set of songs that fully illuminate feelings and emotions that have become even more persistent in the wake of the pandemic and today’s political divide. There’s a strong spiritual component to the album overall—a reflection of tragic circumstance Green suffered over the course of a year which found him fighting to save his marriage and dealing with overwhelming grief after the loss of two loved ones.



Consequently, the despair and desperation that came with trying to find hope in that happenstance dominate the proceedings. We had everything we wanted but we fucked it up, Green bluntly declares on “Fucked It Up,” a song naturally flush with remorse and regret. Other songs follow suit—“Things We Choose To Care About,” “After Disaster,” “Without Warning,” and “Hard, Hard Time”—each a candid confession underscoring the difficulty of coming to grips with those sad situations from which there’s seemingly no other option other than to simply try and persevere. 

Nevertheless, for all the sadder circumspect, Green manages to do just that. “The Love Still Held Me Near,” “A Little Mercy” and “Meant To Be” find solace despite the struggle, soaring with clarity and conviction that soundly rings with a rich sense of sheer determination. The album culminates with “Begin Again,” a song that suggests optimism can still thrive if, and when, the decision is made to leave the past behind. 

Granted, that’s never easy, but Green makes the case that it is possible if the willingness is there. Both haunting and harrowing in equal measure, The Love Still Held Me Near finds the bond that connects those emphatic emotions clearly and convincingly.

Photo by Vaness Heins / All Eyes Media

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