First and foremost, Whitehorse-based singer-songwriter Rob Dickson is a family man. He’s a husband, father, and a talented musician who rolls all the facets of his life into his art. Proof of Our Years, Dickson’s debut album, is “an ode to growth” that sprung from a two-year period in his mid-twenties where he found himself crossing the border into adulthood, taking on new responsibilities and challenges; a new job, new home, new family, new partnership, and a new sense of clarity found their way into his songs.
“Try Again” asks permission to learn from past experiences, start over, and approach life from a new perspective. It reminds me of a quote I heard this week about the word “fail” being an acronym for “First Attempt In Learning”. Accepting failure as part of life is a lesson that must be learned and internalized. Some folks never get to the point where they can accept failure as a building block for life. Dickson’s homespun folk finds a balance between starry-eyed optimism and hard-won truth. His music is shaped by wisdom and humility. Proof of Our Years is a spacious record, honest and sometimes raw, with more than enough room for Dickson’s love of music and family to sit side by side.
