Canadian songwriter Jerry Leger has released a new single ‘Jumped In The Humber’ which you can listen to below. The single is an outtake from his 2019 album ‘Time Out For Tomorrow’ which we raved about at the time, and that album is being released as a deluxe edition on March 26th along with the vinyl release of last year’s home-recorded ‘Songs From The Apartment’. As with all the tracks from ‘Time Out For Tomorrow’, ‘Jumped In The Humber’ was produced by Michael Timmins from the Cowboy Junkies and recorded with Leger’s long-time backing band, The Situation. ‘Humber’ is referencing the Humber River, the 100km river with two main branches that join north of Toronto and then flow into lake Ontario. It was dropped last minute from the album, though Leger kept it in his back pocket, expecting to release it in some way in the future.
The new single will be included as an exclusive flexi-disc record with the deluxe edition of ‘Time Out For Tomorrow’. Leger’s favourite part of the release is the flexi-disc: “You don’t see those around a lot anymore, but they used to come free with music magazines or promo packages. You’d get an unreleased Bob Dylan song or The Clash or somebody. I own a Who flexi-disc and all of the original Beatles fan club Christmas records were on flexi-disc.” Also included in the deluxe is the album on vinyl, a download of the album with 18 exclusive bonus tracks, and a limited edition sticker and autographed poster. For fans who already own the album, the deluxe edition will also be available to order excluding the vinyl. Leger and his band were booked to tour the album across Europe when the COVID-19 pandemic hit. Like so many artists, he had to cancel the tour and swallow some costs, so in place of touring, Leger assembled a deluxe edition of the record with bonus tracks and extra merch.
The other vinyl release out on March 26th and available for pre-order January 21st is 2020’s ‘Songs From The Apartment’. The acoustic album was a surprise release during the first COVID-19 lockdown in Toronto, in late March 2020 – initially only available digitally, it consists of demos that Leger had recorded over the years in his home in Toronto’s Little India. Leger commented: “All shows were cancelled or postponed and it was almost therapeutic for me getting this record together. It also went from being just a surprise record for the fans at a difficult time for all of us, to becoming a favourite of mine. I like having an album like this, completely solo, when you can hear songs recorded at home right after they were written. Not knowing if anyone beyond myself would hear it. It naturally allows a relaxed and uninhibited performance.” The album will be released on translucent red vinyl as a limited run of 300 copies. This vinyl release includes a bonus track, the piano ballad ‘Sweep It Under The Rug’, which is also available as a download with the deluxe edition of ‘Time Out For Tomorrow’.
You can order both albums from Jerry’s official website here.
