In 1969 Nick Garrie recorded The Nightmare Of J.B. Stanisla, a lush folk/pop album. When collectors discovered it in the ’80s, it began fetching astronomical sums, and it was eventually reissued on CD in 2005. Garrie’s life in obscurity has too many twists to recount, but includes two albums as Nick Hamilton and an opening spot on a Leonard Cohen tour in 1984. The Moon And The Village, Garrie’s first release in 23 years, is another subtle charmer. His mellow vocals are supported by arrangements that let his stories glow with a warm inner light. “Bacardi Samuel” sums up the life of a loveable, melancholy drunk in four perceptive verses. “Got You On My Mind” conveys the longing for a lost love with Garrie’s singing augmented by spare notes from a classical harp, and “Ma Petite Catherine” describes the end of an affair (in French), while a muted trombone adds a melancholy tone to the wry lyric.
—j. poet
