When singer-songwriter John Boulay took the stage for his recent album release party, there was a sense of calm confidence that only comes from experience. Held at the Salle Denis Richard venue in Petit Rocher, this past Saturday, the evening marked a full-circle moment for Boulay, one where everything just felt right. “The first time I was still figuring everything out,” he said. “This time, I knew all the steps.”
The show was far more than a typical concert. Boulay performed songs from his new English-language album, Old Soul, alongside the classic country covers that shaped his earliest musical memories. “That’s the music I grew up on,” he reflected. “As a kid, you don’t appreciate your parents’ music, but as you get older you kind of realize that’s the kind of music I grew up on.”
John’s previous record was entirely Francophone; this new one revisits six of those songs, translated into English. “Some actually began in English and were translated to French before,” he explained. “I just wanted to bring them back to their roots.” The process, he admits, isn’t literal translation, it’s about emotion. “You have to take the spirit or the theme and make that shine through.”
The album leans more country and folk than its predecessor, with touches of bluegrass and acoustic balladry. There’s even a nod to Gordon Lightfoot as he covers Race Among the Ruins on the album’s final track.
Most of the songs on the new record were written during the COVID years. After receiving the individual tracks, he dove deep into mixing, tweaking each element until it sounded exactly how he imagined. “It’s about making it more me,” he said.
For the first time, Boulay’s work has been mastered for both vinyl and streaming, handled by Ocean Floor Recordings in Halifax. The difference, he says, is striking: “It’s like there was a blanket on your speakers and someone took it off.” The vinyl edition of Old Soul is expected in early December, just in time for Christmas.
Beyond his music, Boulay is giving back through a charitable project called Compose Yourself/Composez Vous, which collects and repairs donated instruments for people who might not otherwise have access to them, and provides a space for musicians to hold discussions.
As for live shows, Boulay has a busy few months ahead—showcases in Moncton, Charlo, and at La Francofête en Acadie. And while he dreams of going on tour, his heart remains close to home. “It would be good for Bathurst and the whole Chaleur Region to come out and support more original music.”
We want to thank John Boulay for sitting down with us and letting us peak into his creative mind. Well, that’s it for another edition of the Northern Heat Report, the place you come to listen to the stories that have not yet been discovered.