MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: LYNN JACKSON - DOWN IN THE DUST

Jackson's a strong roots songwriter from Kitchener, with five previous albums to her credit, and a growing body of high-quality, emotional and open tunes.  I was first introduced to her on her last album, Coming Down, in 2010, which saw her stretching past her folk and alt-country past, with more band sounds and rock touches.  She's striking a better blend here, with a more diverse set of songs.  She keeps a few rockers around, such as Truth I Know, with it's quick-time beat and raw guitar solo, plus a reggae break-down mid-way through.  But there's a return to heartbreak acoustic, and a good bit of it. 

Alt-country though?  No, although there are a couple of examples of it.  Miss Sinaloa qualifies, a sad acoustic song about the evil that men do, intense and striking, an extremely effective lyric.  But elsewhere, Yellow Moon is a centerpiece song, with a weeping pedal steel and acoustic bass.  It has a campfire, Western feel, just a hint of Tex-Mex.  Spare A Little Rain has more of a jazz feel, the acoustic bass this time teamed with congas, sweetened by electric piano.

With so much music coming from her in a decade of recording, Jackson obviously has lots sounds she wants to explore.  Good on her, I say, there's no point sitting on a style or sound if you've got the interest and the goods to mix it up.  And when all the results come out this well, listeners will have no problem following along.  After all, it's all connected by fine writing, some soul-deep stuff.