Secret Path

Secret Path
Studio album by Gord Downie
Released October 18, 2016
Recorded November 3–10, 2013
November 27–December 2, 2013
Studio The Bathouse Recording Studio, Bath, ON, Canada,
Length 41:10
Label Arts & Crafts Productions
Producer Kevin Drew, Dave Hamelin
Gord Downie chronology
And the Conquering Sun
(2014)And the Conquering Sun2014		 Secret Path
(2016)		 Introduce Yerself
(2017)Introduce Yerself2017
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
Pitchfork Media(8.0/10)

Secret Path is the fifth studio album by Gord Downie and the final album released during his lifetime. Released on October 18, 2016,[1] the project is a concept album about Chanie Wenjack, a young Anishinaabe boy from the Marten Falls First Nation who died in 1966 while trying to return home after escaping from an Indian residential school.[2] All proceeds from the album and book are being donated to the University of Manitoba's National Centre for Truth and Reconciliation project.[2]

The album was accompanied by a graphic novel of the same name, written by Downie and illustrated by Jeff Lemire,[1] as well as an animated television film aired on CBC Television on October 23, 2016.[3] Downie performed the album in a concert at Roy Thomson Hall on October 21, 2016, which was attended by members of the Wenjack family, and was aired by the CBC in October 2017 following Downie's death.

Impact

The project was widely adopted by many Canadian schools as a teaching tool in indigenous history lessons on the residential school system,[4] and led to the creation of the Gord Downie and Chanie Wenjack Fund to support efforts in indigenous reconcilition.[5]

Awards

The album won two Juno Awards at the Juno Awards of 2017, for Adult Alternative Album of the Year and Recording Package of the Year, and Downie won Songwriter of the Year for the songs "The Stranger", "The Only Place to Be" and "Son". The album was also a shortlisted nominee for the 2017 Polaris Music Prize.[6]

At the 6th Canadian Screen Awards, the television film received nominations for the Donald Brittain Award and Best Music in a Non-Fiction Program. It won the Best Music award at the non-fiction programming event on March 6, 2017,[7] and the Donald Brittain Award at the broadcast gala on March 11.[8]

Track listing

All tracks written by Gord Downie unless otherwise noted.

No.TitleLength
1."The Stranger"5:33
2."Swing Set"3:20
3."Seven Matches"3:31
4."I Will Not Be Struck"4:02
5."Son"3:17
6."Secret Path" (Downie, Kevin Drew)4:12
7."Don't Let This Touch You" (Downie, Drew)5:05
8."Haunt Them, Haunt Them, Haunt Them" (Downie, Drew)5:02
9."The Only Place to Be"2:55
10."Here, Here and Here" (Downie, Drew)4:13

Personnel

Additional personnel

  • Engineered by Nyles Spencer
  • Mastered by Eric Boulanger, The Bakery, Culver City, California, USA[9]

Live performances

Downie performed the album in a concert at the Roy Thomson Hall on October 21, 2016, attended by members of the Wenjack family. The concert, Downie's last-ever live performance, was filmed for an hour-long special, Gord Downie's Secret Path in Concert, which also featured backstage footage and scenes from the animated film. The special aired on October 22, 2017 on CBC Television, following Downie's death earlier that week.[10]

Charts

Chart (2016) Peak
position
Canadian Albums (Billboard)[11] 4

References

  1. 1 2 "Gord Downie to release solo album, graphic novel next month". CTV News, September 9, 2016.
  2. 1 2 "Gord Downie to release album, graphic novel about residential schools". The Globe and Mail, September 9, 2016.
  3. ↑ "Gord Downie Announces 'Secret Path' Solo Album, Graphic Novel and TV Special". Exclaim!, September 9, 2016.
  4. ↑ "Peterborough teacher incorporates Gord Downie’s ‘Secret Path’ for Indigenous history lessons". Global News, November 2, 2017.
  5. ↑ "Downie-Wenjack fund receives $5M in 2018 federal budget". CBC News Thunder Bay, February 27, 2018.
  6. ↑ "Polaris Music Prize shortlist includes Leonard Cohen, Gord Downie". The Globe and Mail, July 13, 2017.
  7. ↑ "2018 Canadian Screen Awards honour national media". CTV News Toronto, March 6, 2018.
  8. ↑ "Canadian Screen Awards 2018: Maudie, Anne, Kim's Convenience win top prizes". CBC News, March 11, 2018.
  9. ↑ http://secretpath.ca
  10. ↑ "Gord Downie's Secret Path in Concert to premiere Sunday, October 22 on CBC". CBC Arts. Retrieved 2018-01-09.
  11. ↑ "Billboard Canadian Albums: Top Albums Chart". Billboard. Retrieved November 1, 2016.
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