Chris's Picks

[ By Christopher Eckart, from the Spring 2026 issue ] “Robin in the rain, such a saucy fellow...” The voice of Raffi first brought this image of a plucky, happy bird enjoying wet weather to my imagination. He recorded ``Robin in the Rain" in 1976 with Bob and Dan Lanois and Bob Doidge, not at the legendary Grant Avenue Studios in downtown Hamilton, but in the basement of the Lanois family home in neighbouring Ancaster, Ontario. While Raffi and his production team brought this

[ By Christopher Eckart, from the Winter 2025/2026 issue ] 1995. I had just finished recording something (probably an intense minor-key world-weary folk song) in the studio in my neighbour’s house. The hourly rate was cheap and the engineer Michael J. Birthelmer was generous with his time and also his stories. On that night, he told me the story about the first time he heard Randy Newman on the radio. I listened politely, and just when I thought we’d get to the CD-burning sta

Bram’s "Candy Man, Salty Dog" is a masterpiece of performance, even more so in his vocals than in his expert and effortless guitar playing. He delivers what I think is essential to the best children’s music—humour, play, imagination and interaction.