Sherman Downey & The Ambiguous Case
Sherman Downey & The Ambiguous Case have long held a special place in the hearts of Newfoundland music fans — and far beyond. Blending the best of country, folk, and pop into a melodic roots-rock sound, they’ve floored critics and audiences alike with sophisticated arrangements, boundless energy, and a warmth that lingers long after the last chord fades.
Frontman Sherman Downey rose to national prominence in 2013, winning CBC Radio 2’s Searchlight competition for Canada’s Best New Band. From there, the group built a loyal and growing fan base, topping the CBC Radio 2 Top 20 charts for over 14 weeks, touring across Canada and as far afield as Australia, and earning five MusicNL Award nominations, including Group of the Year, FACTOR Album of the Year, and SOCAN Songwriter of the Year.
Their debut album Honey for Bees (2010) and subsequent releases captured both the vitality of their live shows and the meticulous craft of their studio work — a rare feat that won them acclaim as one of the East Coast’s most exciting acts. Fans came for the hooks, stayed for the storytelling, and left grinning from ear to ear.
In 2015, the band members went their separate ways, leaving a devoted audience with memories of nights spent dancing, singing, and laughing together. Now, after nearly a decade apart, Sherman Downey & The Ambiguous Case are reuniting — bringing that same joy, connection, and musical magic back to the stage.
Russell deCarle
It’s late, and the bar is crowded. The music is loud, and people are dancing. The bartender needs a smoke, and you could use a smile, a conversation, a moment of recognition… But you are alone in this crowd, along with the singer Russell deCarle. Like him — and his music — you are holding it together with equal measures of heartbreak and hope.
So join Russell; sink into his third album of songs that touch the heart, celebrate the truth, and provide warmth and company in the noise of the crowd.
Alone in this Crowd is the title of Russell deCarle’s third album; it feels like the soundtrack of a movie in the days just before they invented Technicolor. And, even more than his two previous albums, it may surprise those who remember deCarle as the lead vocalist and bassist of the iconic Canadian country roots band Prairie Oyster. He is no stranger to awards and accolades — his “Oyster years” were rewarded with six Juno Awards, more than a dozen Canadian Country Music Awards and enough gold and platinum records and #1 singles to fill a living room wall.
The truth is, though, that Prairie Oyster was always more than a “country” band, and deCarle’s warm, burnished and intimate voice has always honoured an eclectic range of songs.
True to form, Alone in this Crowd offers a fluent collection of songs that mix southern soul and restrained balladry, with obvious touches of jazz, blues, old-school country, and western swing. Russell deCarle’s songwriting has absorbed all those influences, and he avidly listens to smooth soul singers and the men and women who made early country music so compelling. Like his previous (debut) solo album Under the Big Big Sky, there are eight original songs here, and three covers.
He surrounds himself with brilliant players, and the crew on this record is superb. Guitarist Steve Briggs is, as always, subtle, tasteful, and understated, but central to deCarle’s sound; bassist Russ Boswell is, simply, the perfect foundation. Drummers Al Cross and Jorn Anderson can be heard on different tracks, as well as singers Cindy Church, Erin Costelo, Karla Crawford and Michelle Willis. Other guests include Denis Keldie (accordion), John Sheard (piano) and Chris Whiteley (harmonica). deCarle, Briggs and L. Stu Young share production credits.