He’s toured extensively in the year since releasing his last album, but on ‘How’s It Doin” Bryan Adams reconnects with his roots and celebrates his Canadian heritage.
A timely arrival in the midst of attacks on the country from the Trump administration, what could have been brushed off as a passion project ends up as some of the rocker’s most inspired work in years, veering away from polished radio rock with overarching influences of roots, Americana and folk and lyrics derived from pages of the history books.
Opening with the title song, named after a greeting commonly used by Canadians, the track sees Adams journey across the country, celebrating the people and provinces that make up Canada, before revisiting the economic uncertainty of his own childhood on the rock-driven ‘Diesel and Dirt’.
He pays tribute to one of Canada’s most inspirational figures, Terry Fox – the athlete, humanitarian and amputee who ran cross-country on one leg to raise awareness for cancer research – on ‘The Ballad of Terry Fox’ – in one of the LP’s more hopeful moments.
Key historical moments, such as when Canada got its tenth and final province in 1949 (‘When Canada Joined Newfoundland’), make up the remainder of the record, often juxtaposing pivotal moments with subsequent tragedy. Take ‘Handful of Gold’, for example, which details the late 1800s Klondike gold rush and ill fate of the would-be miners who sought to strike it rich.
‘The Bridge’ tells the tragedy of the collapse of Vancouver’s Second Narrows Bridge, in one of the finest examples of Adams’ sublime storytelling, along with ‘The Battle of Lundy’s Lane’ about one of the bloodiest battles in the War of 1812 near present-day Niagara Falls.
The relationship between Canada and the United States extends to the thundering Canadian pride anthem ’51st State’ and the closing song, ‘Lake Ontario’, which addresses Trump’s political renaming of the waters to Lake America on which he comments: ‘It feels like another distraction / While the Epstein files are gaining traction.’
Impassioned, empowered and patriotic, ‘How’s It Goin” is more than just another entry into Adams’ impressive catalogue; it’s a masterful, history-driven love letter to Canada and an education from one of the country’s most successful and enduring musical exports.
