Amer's first solo album, The Year of the Apology, was recorded with members of Broken Social Scene and released in 2004. His second solo album, There / After, (recorded at Twang Recordings) was released on May 19th, 2006. Beyond his solo work, Amer also plays guitar for anyone who wants him to play guitar for them; most notably recording and touring with Kelly & The Kellygirls.
Buy There / After on iTunes
OR... at CDBaby
What the critics say...
"A gifted guitarist, songwriter and performer with a musical reach that knows no limits ... honest, gritty lyrics and refreshing musicality."
Andy Frank - CIUT FM
"It's music for music lovers, songs for the spiritual, an album for the inspired... Go out and see him now, before the bars get too crowded."
Erica Basnicki - Soulshine Magazine
"[A] solidly-crafted 11-song debut... prickly pop... reverberating aural collage... [and] a roiling crest of surf guitar."
Vit Wagner - The Toronto Star
"...echoes of Ron Sexsmith can be heard in Diabs well-written and incisive songs. [He] may be a relative unknown at the moment, but he certainly doesnt deserve to be."
Steve McLean - Canadian Music Network
"A splendid record... [Diab has] a knack for crafting his own gems..."
Alex Steininger - In Music We Trust
"While Amer Diab's first solo record is good, it reveals even greater potential... Diab's voice, roughed with the finest sandpaper, is earnest, and so is the look in his eye... You'll want to see what comes next."
Lauren Ferranti - Chart Magazine
"...Diab transform[s] alternately into a country-rock Elvis Costello... and a bruised-up Jackson Browne..."
Stuart Berman - Eye Weekly
"...a debut that evokes crying in your beer and smoking rollies at the Matador..."
Sarah Liss - Now Magazine
"Diab grits his teeth and carves out a raw, rustic sound that recalls the wiry work of Ryan Adams..."
Steve Baylin - Ottawa Xpress
"A marvelous record... its only a matter of time before a swarm of industry vultures hop onto the Diab bandwagon."
Toni-Marie Ippolito - Scene And Heard
"Honest lyrics set to a moody, yet melodic backdrop, make The Year of the Apology a pleasure to repeatedly spin - certainly not something to apologize for."
Ryan McLaughlin - Canadian Musician
"Diab is an expressive vocalist with a keen melodic sense and a bit of a whiskey rattle, a la Jeff Tweedy... Well crafted and thoughtfully arranged... "
Chuck Molgat - Exclaim
"Well crafted songs that showcase a delicious blend of hypnotic musicality alongside strong lyrics... With appealing vocals, the album starts strong and gets even better as it goes along, and then gets stronger still with repeated listens."
Kimberly Logue - The Spill Magazine
"... this Torontonian has put together that rare thing: a singer-songwriters record that doesnt neglect to showcase musicality alongside lyric and songcraft... Keep an eye on this one."
Stuart Henderson - UmbrellaMusic
