Bocephus King

In the summer of 2000, Bocephus King was doing pretty well for himself. He had just released his third CD and was embarking on his second European tour. His last two releases were on dozens of top ten lists and his live shows had become legendary. Accompanied by the biggest buzz band to come along in years, The Rigalattos, he was the belle of the ball at every festival and music exhibition from Amsterdam to Austin, Texas. Bocephus had the entire package. His songwriting and musicianship blended beautifully with his showmanship and storytelling. He seemed unstoppable.

At this point you're probably thinking this sounds a lot like the man's eulogy, or one of those "Behind the Music" exposes where everything was about to go terribly wrong. But in the summer of 2003, Bocephus King is neither dead nor irrelevant (or to a lesser extent on VH1). It's just that it's been almost three years now that we've been anticipating his next album. Unlike some musicians, those years weren't spent in musical exile. Along with producing albums for several artists and an extensive touring schedule, he played and wrote music steadily through label and management changes as well as band personnel.

But now, he's finally ready to release his latest project, "All Children Believe in Heaven". Before you get the image of two angelic children pressing their hands together in prayer and looking to the sky, don't. That's not the mood or the message, if any, in this new CD. Think of it, as the title to let's say, an old James Cagney or Bogart film. You could say the album pays a fare bit of homage to old Hollywood or at the very least gives it an unsterilized biopsy, lyrically, but also in atmosphere. This isn't Billy Joel singing "We Didn't Start the Fire" or Madonna's celebrity rap in "Vogue". It's Hollywood dirtied up. If you're familiar with BK's work, you'll know that the characters in his songs are usually; the lovelorn, jaded or felonious, and of course there's his collection of whores, pill poppers and drunkards. So take from that what his interpretation of the golden age might be.

If you're not familiar with him or his work, this album would probably be a good place to start. The music isn't unrecognizable or completely removed from previous releases like "The Blue Sickness" or "A Small Good Thing". It has great elements from both, but it's definitely a huge leap forward, rather than a desperate look back. This is arguably his best album to date. Along with his latest CD, Bocephus is now joined by an amazing and unique new group of musicians, taking his live shows to an entire different level of what has been described as "an unconventional Vaudevillian-three ring circus with no intermission". With the release of the album this Fall in Belgium, Holland, Italy and of course here at home in Canada, as well as the consequent tours to follow, Bocephus King will be very busy for a long time to come. Let's just hope we don't have to wait another three years for his next album.