P.E.I.'s Lennie Gallant returns with new album, his 1st English
recording in 7 years
Stephen Brun
| CBC News | Posted: June 8, 2025 9:00 AM | Last Updated: 2
hours ago
Shelter from the Storms reflects on turbulent times, with some
fun and laughter too
Image | Lennie Gallant
Caption: Lennie Gallant has won 19 East Coast Music Awards and
four Music P.E.I. Awards and has earned three Juno nominations.
He was also made a member of the Order of Canada in 2003.
(Submitted)
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Acclaimed P.E.I. singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant is back with
a new album, and it's one that's been a long time coming.
Shelter from the Storms is the 16th album release of Gallant's
illustrious career, but it's also his first English-language
recording in seven years.
Not that he hasn't been productive over that time.
Gallant and his partner, Patricia Richard, recorded two albums
in French as the duo Sirène et Matelot. Gallant also recorded a
Christmas song with the Zimbabwean band Black Umfolosi.
"So I was busy, but I didn't realize that seven years had
passed since there was a bona fide, regular Lennie Gallant
album," he told Mainstreet P.E.I. host Steve Bruce. "It was a
bit of a shock when I found that out."
Media Audio | Mainstreet PEI : Lennie Gallant returns with
first English-language album in seven years
Caption: Island singer-songwriter Lennie Gallant will launch a
new record on Friday - his first English-language album in
seven years. He joins us to share what inspired the new record
and some of the projects he's been working on.
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No stranger to Canadian audiences in either language, Gallant
has won 19 East Coast Music Awards and four Music P.E.I.
Awards, and has earned three Juno nominations.
He was also made a member of the Order of Canada in 2003.
* How Lennie Gallant almost brushed off Jimmy Buffett's
request to write songs together
* Lennie's dream: Gallant's song Peter's Dream to be inducted
into Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame
The 14-track Shelter from the Storms was released Friday, and
is described on his website as "a powerful reflection on the
turbulent times we live in, but also celebrating the enduring
human capacity for dealing with these times through connection,
love and laughter."
Despite his years-long foray into francophone recordings, the
Rustico native said he actually feels more at home writing
songs in English.
"I didn't speak French at all really until I was around 20," he
said. "I was hanging around a lot of Acadians and I realized it
was a strong part of my heritage. I come from a village that
was once a francophone Acadian village, and unfortunately the
language got kind of lost — and I decided to use music to
regain it."
'We need connection'
While Gallant said he has an extensive back-catalog of songs he
hasn't recorded yet, most of the new album's music is based on
new ideas.
Image | Sirène et Matelot
Caption: Gallant and his partner, Patricia Richard, recorded
two albums in French as the duo Sirène et Matelot. (Davy
Gallant)
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The first two singles, the title track and Counting on Angels,
are meant to reflect the state of the world as it is now — the
existential threat of climate change and the ever-changing
political landscape in the United States that has, on occasion,
represented a threat to Canada's sovereignty.
"I think a lot of people are feeling that the world is… a
little shaky right now in a lot of different ways," Gallant
said.
"A lot of the songs on the album are kind of talking about how
to deal with difficult times and how much we need connection,
how much we need to care for the planet itself and just care
for each other."
* Lennie and Patricia's dream: Duo to release debut album
* Lennie Gallant's moving new Christmas song offers hope to
refugees
It's not all doom and gloom, though. Gallant describes the
album as "eclectic," with a healthy dose of fun and laughter
along the way.
Take, for example, the song It Takes a lot of Liquor to Bury a
Horse, inspired by a line delivered by friend and fellow
musician Dave Gunn.
Gunn and a friend had to, well, bury a horse that had died at
his farm. He told Gallant about the experience later over the
phone.
"I guess they needed a lot of libation along the way," Gallant
said with a laugh. "I said, 'Dave, that is a line that is just
crying for a song.' And so I had to write a song about it."
Image | Lennie Gallant
Caption: Lennie Gallant says he plans to tour Shelter from the
Storms across Canada. (Dave Brosha Photography)
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Gallant will launch Shelter from the Storms with a concert
Sunday night at Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside. He'll
eventually embark on a cross-country tour in support of the
album.
He said one of the best parts of bringing his show to audiences
Canada-wide is having fun on stage with his band and channeling
that energy to crowds.
"People say after the show, 'You guys look like you're having
so much fun up there,' as though we're putting [it] on," he
said.
"But I say, 'No, it's real.' We really do enjoy playing onstage
together and I love that that gets translated to the audience."
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