This came out in 2005 — or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
“If I don’t jump ship right now,” says Joel Plaskett, “I’ll never figure out how to fly.” That mixed metaphor may not be his most inspired couplet, but it does seem to sum up where the Halifax singer-songwriter’s head is at now.
After a couple of solidly rocking albums with his ’70s-inspired power trio the Emergency — not to mention a profile-raising slot on the last Tragically Hip tour — the ex-Thrush Hermit frontman backs away from the spotlight on this solo album. Essentially a one-man production that displays the spontaneity (though not the lightheartedness) of its title, La De Da emphasizes Plaskett’s mellower and more introspective side via witty autobiographical lyrics and Ray Davies-like songcraft, set against a backdrop of low-wattage rock troubadourism and unvarnished, home-studio looseness.
A self-portrait of an artist in transition, La De Da may not be the long-overdue commercial break Plaskett so richly deserves. But it does make you keen to know where he’s going to fly to next — and to tag along for the ride.
