GENRE; Experimental
LABEL; Transgressive
RATING; 4/5
Beverly Glenn-Copeland’s Laughter in Summer is a tender, resonant masterpiece that feels both like a career retrospective and a deeply personal testament to love, memory, and creative vitality. Released in February 2026 on Transgressive Records, the album finds Glenn-Copeland — now in his early eighties and navigating the realities of a dementia diagnosis — embracing life through music rather than retreating from it, resulting in a profoundly moving listening experience.
Recorded largely in one take with his wife and musical partner, Elizabeth Glenn-Copeland, at Montreal’s Hotel2Tango studio, the record thrives on simplicity and intimacy. Sparse arrangements — mostly piano, choir, clarinet, and voice — foreground the emotional warmth of each song, inviting both reflection and celebration. Songs like “Let Us Dance (Movement One)” and “Ever New — At Hotel2Tango” open the album with a quiet, spiritual grandeur, blending nostalgic reverence with renewed tenderness.
The title track, a duet featuring Elizabeth’s lyrical contribution, stands out as the emotional centrepiece, a love letter imbued with bittersweet beauty. Elsewhere, “Harbour” and “Children’s Anthem” further showcase the couple’s collaborative chemistry, balancing vulnerability with communal warmth. The choral elements on tracks like “Shenandoah” extend the album’s reach beyond introspection into a shared, almost hymnal space.
Critics have celebrated the album for its intimate warmth and emotional context, with a consensus score around 77/100, noting its strengths in heartfelt performance and thematic richness. While some quieter moments may not match the impact of the standout tracks, the overall effect is one of quiet grace and tender reflection.
In Laughter in Summer, Glenn-Copeland doesn’t just revisit past songs — he reimagines them with sincerity and care, crafting an album that feels like a life fully lived and generously shared.
