The Motherland

It reaches out beyond its borders and jettisons into the land of the universal, at least musically. Despite the fact that Bidini is a proud Canadian, and has no issue with tackling Canadian topics in song, which has made him something of a trailblazer - there was a time when Canadians didn't sing about Canada to make their music more palpable to those living particularly in the United States - and you have to give him credit for going down that path. The Motherland shows that, at the age of 50, Dave Bidini shows no signs of slowing, and we can all celebrate the fact that he's still making music. There is plenty of bracing stuff to be found on the record, and Bidini's knack for the unconventional subject matter and brand of twisted rock and roll fusion is on full display... Canada needs its Dave Bidini's to illuminate some dark truths about Canada, as he does here.
-Zachary Houle, Popmatters

Bidini's songs bend and sway with ease, but it never feels like trickery. Any reliance on traditional rock song structure is virtually non-existent; in fact, it is only the straight-up, riff-based title track that feels out of place here. Inspired by the Canada many take for granted, Bidini still has the ability to make the manners some deem trivial seem incredibly important.
-Exclaim!