Carl Young

How does one explain the sudden appearance of excellence? Carl communes with the Muses. A maturity of sentimentality and the richness and refinement of imagery are the hallmarks of his heartfelt lyrics. Through song, Carl contemplates delicate moments in his life, including the loss of his mother in ?In My Dreams? and ?Lilacs When They Bloom?. He remembers a nostalgic return to his hometown only to be greeted by strangers in, ?No Longer There?; and asks universal questions of love and vulnerability in ?What do you love about me?? and ?Please Don't Ask Me?.

Carl's music represents deep personal reflections that easily resonate on a universal level of familiarity.

Carl's life story couldn't have been scripted any better. Part persistence, part chutzpah, part serendipity and all delivery, there is something about this talent that convinced some of the most-respected movers and shakers in the music business to get behind him.

At the top of the list is the highly acclaimed, composer Jack Lenz (The Passion of the Christ), who offered to executive produce the album and assemble a team to take Carl to a wider audience. ?I backed Carl because I felt he had the talent, the look and the motivation to be a great success,? says Jack. ?Carl is one of those guys who simply knows how to communicate. His simple, clean and warm voice is expressed so well in both his own beautiful songs and the songs of other writers.?

In a tale this compelling, one simply doesn't know where to begin. Is it with the 80-year-old lady, Fran Elliot, whose songs Carl introduces on Simply Sentimental? Is it with this singer himself, who had never before written a song, but ended up with eight self-penned strands of lyrical pearls on his first album? Or is it with his day job as a customs officer, a job he's loved for more than 20 years, which allows him to ask the question, ?And what do you do for a living??

It was a chance meeting on a regular day at work that would change his life and enable him to share his gift with the world. As with most travelers going through customs, he asked one traveler the question, ?What do you do for a living?? The response was ?I work in the music industry?. That man was producer-composer Jack Lenz, of ?Lenz Entertainment?. Jack's warm personality made it easy for Carl to punctuate the interview by mentioning that he shared an interest in music and that he had recorded a demo called ?Forgive Me?. Jack remarked that he would welcome an opportunity to hear the song and gave Carl his card. Some weeks later Carl met with Jack at his Toronto studio and played him the demo. Jack responded, ?Why don't we make an album!?

For the first time, Carl recorded at a state-of-the-art facility, Phase One Studios, with Jack at the helm. Jack brought Glenn Morley (Gino Vannelli, Alfie Zappacosta) on board as associate producer and to orchestrate. Jack's son, Asher (Josh Groban's ?So She Dances?) contributes to orchestration as well. Performing on the tracks are A-list session-players such as guitarist Rob Piltch, bassist Paul Novotny, drummer Terry Clarke, pianist Danny McErlain, and 2007 ?Sachmo Jazz Award? winner Peter Appleyard on vibes. The result?. well, why don't you be the judge!