Craig Cardiff sets out on his latest musical journey with his warm and romantic new single All This This Time Running — showcasing today on Tinnitist.
The title cut from the Ottawa indie-folk veteran’s upcoming album, the song serves as an indirect ode to his long withstanding journey through the international folk music scene. The message is also indicative of the personal journeys we also embark upon — though just as Cardiff always returns to his musical roots, we always come back a stronger, humbler, and wiser version of ourselves. To quote Cardiff: “All of the movement and all the activity is only to arrive where we’ve been for a long time — home.”
All This Time Running is a splendid piece, laden with nimble frets and melodious keys, accompanied by gentle snares and pleasing plucks of the banjo. The musical elements are serenely aligned with Cardiff’s signature warm, scratched, and mellow voice taking the helm. If the music is the driver, the human and poetic nature of the lyrics are the vehicle for this single — just one of the incredible works featured on the All This Time Running album.
“It’s the biggest thing I’ve ever done,” the humble, soft-spoken father says in a rare moment of pride. “It didn’t start out that way. I didn’t have that scope and scale in mind at the beginning. It just kind of grew that way. It was actually kind of a gift.”
The musician credited COVID for how this latest release came to fruition, while being mindful and sympathetic towards the hardships and uncertainties which the pandemic has caused many the world over. “I never had time to pause like this before,” Cardiff reveals. “It scared the hell out of me at first. Everything went out the window; we had to rejig and scramble. It was like Mad Max. But It became a positive. We were able to access some players we wouldn’t have been able to otherwise. And the time to sit with the songs and the recordings — that was critical.”
To say Cardiff is active as an artist is truly an understatement. While All This Time Running is his first album of new material in six years, Cardiff has independently released an astounding total of 25 albums and EPs since his debut release in 1997. He has been nominated for a Juno for Roots and Traditional Album of the Year for 2012’s Floods And Fires, as well as a Canadian Folk Music Award for Contemporary Singer in the same year.
Cardiff remains humble about his achievements and accomplishments. At the forefront, his approach to songwriting has always been about connecting with his audience and nurturing a sense of community. He views his talents as a calling, going as far as to label his artistry as a commitment, even a mission. “I need to know I’m singing to somebody who connects with my songs,” he says. “The goal is to take a roomful of strangers and bring them together.”
Check out All This Time Running above, hear more from Craig Cardiff below, and connect with him at his website, Facebook and Instagram.
