The Imagine If - Great Expectations (2024) Hi-Res

The Imagine If is a five-piece band from Toronto, Canada. Fronted by singer Alia Logan, the other members are Keith Boddy on guitar, Eric Lefebvre on keys, Brian Pauls on bass and Tom Paulovits on drums. Horns are added to four tracks by Shaylynn Anderson (sax) and Laura Stones (trumpet) and backing vocalists Quisha Wint and Selena Evangeline contribute to six of the ten songs here. Unfortunately, there was no information sheet supplied but the material all seems to be original and this appears to be the band’s debut album release, to judge from a visit to their website.

Alia is a strong presence, her vocals deep and soulful, and whilst she does not have a particularly wide vocal range, she certainly projects the lyrics well, no more so than on the first two tracks: “Old Shack By The Highway” is a big production number with lots of keyboards and a spiraling guitar solo as Alia recalls an old building from her childhood, now long gone; the uptempo “Devil’s Child” features the horns, adding to the ominous feel of the cut. “Flowers” features keyboards, notably what sounds like clavinet, giving the track a bit of a 70’s soul feel, also accentuated by the backing vocals. “Wait For The Moment” is excellent, perhaps the most overtly rock cut on the album, anchored by a great riff from Keith, Alia biding her time in a relationship which seems to have promise but needs the right timing: “I search for the answers but the questions were wrong”.

Things take a turn towards mainstream pop with “Intimacy” and “Like You” which, for this reviewer, were the weakest tracks here. Bubbling keyboards drive “Moonshine”, a tale of bootleggers evading the law (“Don’t tell me I’m wrong, I give the people what they want”) while the title track is a big production ballad with a superb vocal over synth strings, though the spoken element towards the end may not appeal to everyone. “December 32nd” is a strange title and several listens failed to reveal the intentions of the lyrics though the rousing chorus, driven by powerful drums and guitar, cannot fail to impress, kindling fond memories of early Jefferson Starship to these ears! The album closes with horns and busy bass lines pushing the tune on while electric piano takes the main solo honours; Alia’s “Mission” is to be the centre of her guy’s universe.

Attentive readers will note that the word ‘blues’ has not appeared in this review. Indeed, while there are elements of rock, soul and roots music, there is little or no blues here. Fans of bands like fellow Canadians Bywater Call should enjoy this one, but there is little here for hard-core blues fans.