THUNDER BAY -- Country star Brett Kissel will be at the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium on Monday, Feb. 5, performing songs from the most ambitious release of his career – the four-album Compass Project.
For the last 10 years or so, Kissel has considered releasing a large collection of music.
“I always wanted to do a box set and really double down – or in this case quadruple down – my efforts on the sub-genres of country music. And the Compass Project really gave me that opportunity.”
Kissel released the new four-album collection last year, called Compass Project, with individual albums named North, East, West, and South.
“Each album has a distinct theme, and I’m very proud of them all,” Kissel said.
“The North Album is my ‘North star.’ It is my ode to the North, which is Canada to me.”
Kissel recorded this greatest-hits album over several years at concerts throughout Canada, in cities such as Montreal, Halifax, Edmonton, Calgary – even in his hometown of St. Paul, Alta.
“One of the coolest things was being able to listen to old board tapes and mixes from shows from across Canada. We record every single show we ever do, and it was so fun to reminisce as a band and say, ‘Remember how great Anthem was when we played it at the hometown show?’
“Well, we listened to the shows, found the best versions of these songs, and turned that into our live album.”
East is Kissel’s singer-songwriter album, inspired by a beautiful trip to Peggy’s Cove in Nova Scotia.
“I looked out on the ocean – and wanted to capture the feeling of the East Coast on an album,” he said.
The best way to do that was with love songs, or songs about the land, he said, which was perfect for his singer-songwriter concept.
“My wife, Cecilia, and I even wrote a song for the East Album called Sanctuary, and I’m very proud of that in particular."
Take a wild guess what the West Album is about - Country and Western, of course.
“This theme is really important to me as the western way of life often gets negative attention, when in reality it’s the best way of life. I loved my upbringing and loved growing up in Alberta,” he said.
Kissel said songs on this album are all about “oil and cattle. Hard work. Late nights. Early mornings. And drinking whisky while playing cards.”
South has “the needle of the compass pointing towards Nashville.” Referring to it as “new country,” Kissel said this album has him combining new country ideas with slick production “in a pretty special package.”
“The South Album has all the hits. The other albums have all the experiments.”
Kissel said these albums have been a labour of love. Up until recently, many of the new songs were a work in progress – some are 15 years old, he said.
“But, all in all, it was the better part of two years to bring this entire project to life.”
Kissel said these songs provide information about his past that fans might appreciate.
“If you want to know about my relationship with Cecilia, the entire love story is in the East Album. If you want to know about me and my roots and the themes that matter to me most in life, listen to the West Album.”
The albums also offer information about who he is now. Every album is a “snapshot in time,” he said.
“And I believe the Compass Project is the best way to honour the last 10 years of my national career and the last 20 years of my life since I really started giving this country music thing a go.
"Best part about these albums? It’s that they set the stage for even bigger and better things to come in 2024 and beyond.”
The four albums will make casual fans realize he isn’t just a “one trick pony,” he said.
“I’m a diverse artist who is capable of really anything. And I’m proud of my versatility. So, I think this will be a huge foundation to build upon.”
Kissel said growing up on a cattle ranch in St. Paul, Alta., gave him his work ethic. That is partly why many of his songs feature the theme of working hard.
“This is a big part of who I am, and the rural way of life is running through my veins and through the ink of my pen. Always. In all ways.”
Tickets are still available for the Monday, Feb. 5 concert at the Community Auditorium, which starts at 8 p.m.
