Ian Thomas

Originally released on GRT in 1973, Ian Thomas' debut album spawned his biggest hit with the contagiously melodic "Painted Ladies," peaking at number four in his homeland of Canada and number 34 in the U.S., and eventually becoming his only American Top 40 single. The song is easily the album's high point, as other efforts such as "Will You Still Love Me," "When You Have Love," and "Insecurity" cease to administer anything different from the plethora of soft rock tunes that consumed radio in the early '70s. Thomas does manage to emphasize his vocal strength on "Come the Son," a tune which received a small amount of airplay in Canada and exposed his talent for songwriting, even though its musical makeup couldn't come close to the album's hit single. "Painted Ladies" carried Ian Thomas into Canadian gold status and netted Thomas a Juno award for most promising male vocalist in 1974. Although his future singles would never equal the status of "Painted Ladies," he did improve upon the overall strength of his albums as a whole. ~ Mike DeGagne, All Music Guide