Best known for his 1973 international hit “Painted Ladies,” Ian Thomas is an award-winning Canadian singer/songwriter and composer that’s been making music for over five decades. Internationally-renowned artists such as Santana, America, Manfred Mann, Bon Jovi, Bette Midler, Anne Murray, and Chicago have covered his songs.
How We Roll is Thomas’ fifteenth solo album and first new release in nearly a decade, following 2016’s A Life in Song. Work on the album began during the COVID-19 lockdown, with remote collaboration from outside musicians like bassist Paul Intson and guitarist Jon Zaslow. Throughout each of the nine tracks, his thoughtful lyrics touch on hot-button issues like climate change, human rights, and religion,
In addition to the standard two-channel stereo mix, How We Roll is also available in Dolby Atmos. Though the Atmos mix–created by Vic Florencia and mastered by Justin Gray–is accessible through streaming services that support immersive audio like Apple Music and Tidal, it can also be purchased on a limited-edition audio-only Blu-Ray disc from IAN Records and as a hi-res immersive download from IAA's online shop!
“I have recently become good friends with a neighbor by the name of Vince Hoffman. His good ear, knowledge, and passion for music resulted in his own amazing immersive listening room. It was there I became infected with Vince's passion. I then sought out Vic Florencia, a serious audio engineer who I discovered was mixing Dolby Atmos. I knew Vic’s work and felt good about sending him my files to mix in Atmos. By the time Vic’s mixes came to fruition, my own home studio was 7.1.4.”
Ian Thomas
Florencia’s Dolby Atmos mix does indeed provide a stellar listening experience on a 7.1.4 setup, with the various layers of guitar, vocal, synthesizer, and percussion dotted all around the room. “How We Roll” kicks off with keyboards floating overhead and behind, quickly giving way to electronic percussion in the side surrounds and Thomas’ vocal in the front ‘phantom’ center. Background vocal chants of “this is how we roll” during the chorus hover beside the listener.
Moving into “When I Was Yours,” twin acoustic guitars diagonally oppose each other from the front left and rear right speakers. Backing vocals again fill out the side surrounds, while the sax solo towards the end extends upwards to the front height channels. There’s a great moment at around the six-minute mark where the drum kit suddenly expands to fill up the entire space, with the ride cymbal pushed out towards the back half of the room.
Acoustic guitar appears primarily from the front heights for “Little Things,” while the harmony vocals during the chorus are suspended between the rear and rear height channels. Keyboards and vocal echoes additionally pop up from the rear during the bridge, plus a tambourine part that circles the height array. Keyboards then take the side surrounds in “Waiting For The World To End,” with guitar owning the rears and percussion rotating overhead.
Acoustic guitars underpin Thomas’ voice from the front stage in “One and Only Somebody,” while electronic percussion fills out the side surrounds and additional guitars appear from the rear. Percussion amusingly dances around the height array for the intro to “Cut Out My Heart,” with piano firmly rooted directly behind the listener’s head. During the second half of the song, percussion pops up in the rear heights and organ bursts from the side surrounds.
Acoustic guitar from the front speakers duels with keyboards in the side surrounds for “Over and Done,” with the rears engaged for additional elements like electric piano, percussion, and vocal echoes. At around the two minutes in, the synth gloriously swirls around the room as chants of “it’s over” emerge from the sides. During the guitar solo, percussion appears over the listener’s left shoulder along with keys off to the right.
The guitar intro to “Opposites Attract” is suspended between the front and side surround speakers, engaging the wide channels in a 9.1.4 or 9.1.6 setup. On the lyric “stuck together like glue,” vocal echoes bounce all around the room. How We Roll then concludes with the heartfelt “We Are Who We Are,” featuring piano in the side surrounds and sparkling acoustics from the rear.
In a year packed with so many high-profile immersive releases, it’s easy to overlook a hidden gem like Ian Thomas’ How We Roll. If you enjoy catchy melodies, great sound, and thoughtful, reflective lyrics–all wrapped in a breathtaking immersive presentation–then this release should absolutely be on your radar.
Purchase How We Roll in the IAA Shop!
