Although he’s only 17, Barrie’s Corey Heuvel has already journeyed down more musical avenues than many people three and four times his age. A gifted guitarist and songwriter, Heuvel’s muse has taken him down the road of 1990s industrial alt-rock, classic Hendrix and Zeppelin, the incendiary stylings of Stevie Ray Vaughan, through 1980s hair metal and into the realm of the dreamy 1970s singer-songwriters like Joni Mitchell and James Taylor, deep into the Delta Blues of Robert Johnson and B.B.

King. And he’s still got 60 or 70 years of exploration ahead of him. Heuvel recently released his 10-song debut CD, In Balance, an eclectic, but not disjointed mГ©lange of intelligent blues, soulful ballads and unique twists on classic rock chestnuts all of which demonstrate his beyond-his-years instrumental virtuosity as well as his mature songwriting.

It was recorded under the auspices of experienced Canadian music industry professional Tom Treumuth, who has worked with the likes of Honeymoon Suite, Helix and Big Sugar. “It was really different going into the studio with a set plan, with a guy who really knows what he is doing,” said Heuvel from his rehearsal space in the basement of his home. “He was really prepared and really knew what he wanted. It was just a really cool experience and something that I learned a lot from.

It’s really cool to see someone take your music and not really change it, but make it better, and he was good with that.” Even though he was dealing with an industry veteran with more years under his belt than Heuvel has on the planet, the young musician felt it was a great collaborative process. “If I didn’t like the way something sounded, if I didn’t like one of his ideas, I could tell him, and he said, вЂthat’s fine, you’re the artist.