Sweetsalt

The first release by Canadian indie pop/rockers Sweetsalt is a grand experiment in contrast. Regional radio hit "Saffron Girl" sits in stark contrast to the mournful "Strong Man", "Golden Child" counterpoints the broken ballad "California Burning". Throughout the record Sweetsalt blurs the line between pop song, dirge, and hymn, often leaving the listener with more questions than answers. Truly, this is the genius of Sweetsalt. The artistic struggle is laid bare for all to see; including the war between faith and suffering, love and apathy, hope and despair. All of these extremes are revealed and explored in the artists' effort to define themselves, and as a result even the critics had difficulty defining exactly what Sweetsalt stood for. At the time some pigeonholed the group as just another gospel group, while some in the Christian music community reviled them for openly discussing matters of faith in the context of a pop love song. When asked to define the band writer/vocalist Ben Reynolds replied, "Let them call us what they want to call us. We're a rock band. Period." Regardless, this record was a landmark for the young band. It garnered a mixed bag of critical accolades including nominations for Best Gospel Album at the 1999 Juno Awards; and Outstanding Pop Recording, Outstanding Album Independent Artist and Outstanding Graphic Design at the 1999 Prairie Music Awards. This recording also marked the beginning of the band's ongoing relationship with Sony Pictures when "Camelot" and "Saffron Girl" were hand picked to make up part of the soundtrack of WB's hit teen drama "Dawson's Creek". It has been said that the imperfections are what make a work of art truly great, and this is certainly the case with Sweetsalt's self-titled album. The struggle documented in these fifteen tracks makes this first effort a beautiful bloodletting and a truly rich catharsis.