If a year prior, you had told Allister Bradley that he'd be releasing his debut album, No Games, in November 2004, backed by a top producer and a band of well-respected Canadian musicians, he would have probably answered, "Nice dream." So it continues to surprise the humble Kitchener songwriter that he's been able to pull off recording the project in just 10 weeks, including time off for a Florida vacation and live shows with local bands Click Track and Atlantic Ave.

"I didn't realize how ready I was to make this album," admits Bradley. When it came down to picking the songs for the album, he found that he had to make painful cuts to a long list of candidates from his favourite compositions.

Bradley has been crafting songs for years, learning from top Canadian songwriters and from the writing process itself. Even Pat Pattison, songwriting professor from Boston's Berklee College of Music, acknowledges that Bradley's writing skills have strengthened over the few years since Pattison started delivering weekend songwriting seminars in Toronto to members of the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC).

An obsessed musician and writer since before he was a teenager, Bradley admits that he wrote for years without "knowing the rules," but rather by instinct. After attending seminars and song evaluations run by SAC, he began to recognize the song structures and tricks that he had been employing "because they just felt right." Now that he has been seizing opportunities to network with other writers, to have his songs evaluated by industry and songwriting pros, and to learn tricks from veterans of the trade, Bradley's songs have catapulted into attention-grabbing works of melody and prose.

Bradley writes songs about familiar issues - grief, joy, love, war, weakness, devotion, betrayal, loss - but he writes with a respect for the human condition that makes us take a closer look at what it's like to be in another person's shoes. A handful of songs on the album are autobiographical; most, however, are written about people whom he has watched endure hardships or enjoy triumphs. His songwriting is never the same twice, as he tries a new angle on virtually every song. "The Words Are Free" drives like a rock anthem, while "Remember the Simple Things" is a tune that would seem right at home alongside folk or country standards, and "If Ever I Cried" would be equally comfortable beside one of Sting's more jazz-infused hits.

Bradley says that the album chose its own title, based on the theme of the title track. "No Games is about getting to that point in your personal growth that you recognize the high value of honesty. The songs on this album may not all contain true-to-life stories, but they all express an honest opinion about life in our times."

Bradley's producer, Darren Walters, and the musicians who played on the album agree that it is a collection of powerful songs that reach out to the listener. The album was recorded at Walters' Stonehouse Studio, on a picturesque ranch in the Southwestern Ontario hamlet of Bright. Bradley met Walters while working at the studio with another local artist, and instantly knew that Walters would be the right producer to bring his album together. Bradley and Walters discussed the idea and a perfect fit between recording artist, producer, and studio was made.

"Darren has a great musical sensibility and a set of golden ears," admits Bradley. "He's a total professional in the studio."

The songs of Allister Bradley's debut album No Games are strong in theme, rich in imagery and story, and wrapped in melodic lines that cling to your subconscious long after the disc has finished spinning. The arrangements are straight-up, with traditional rock instrumentation and a prominent grand piano (Allister's main instrument) appearing on nearly every track. The vocals are clean and up-front, varying in depth from the lone vocal of "No Games" and "If Ever I Cried" to the four-part harmonies of "Song About Nothing" and the pub-style sing-along of "Bring Me A Beer".

Listen to this album and you'll see that it lives up to its title by delivering no games, just enjoyable, seriously crafted and produced songs.

Allister Bradley currently performs around the Kitchener-Waterloo area in the three-piece group Atlantic Ave., and kicked off the No Games album with a full-band CD release party on December 6th. For more information, visit his web site at www.allisterbradley.com.