Now here's some Canadiana. Folks from Nova Scotia, New Brunswick,
Ontario, Alberta and B.C. end up living in Montreal and making a country
album. Well, alt-country, or in other words, old school country with
folk melodies and thoughtful lyrics, and in this case, a beautiful sound
and haunting vocals and harmonies. The six-member group came together
from Friday night kitchen singalongs. There are three singer-writers;
Katie Moore, Michelle Tompkins and Angela Desveaux, and players Joe
Grass (dobro, pedal steel), Mike O'Brien (guitar) and Andrew Horton
(bass). All are experienced performers in various Montreal groups, and
this is their first release under the El Coyote banner.
Each
of the singers has a true, classic roots voice, natural and easy to
enjoy. The harmonies are gorgeous, soothing even, so comfortable do they
blend. Mostly these are country ballads, with 19th century folk
touches, and even some Western influences. But there's still that little
alt- edge, so it's never a homage to old timey sounds. The best I've
come up with as a description is Cowboy Junkies visiting the McGarrigle
family for a parlour session. The language is certainly older rather
than modern; they sing of time and tide, and a false-hearted lover. But
even cuts like Lighten up Diane and the uptempo cut Tip Jar feel more
like they are set in the 1950's than today. Delicate acoustic picking
and Grass's hypnotic pedal steel and dobro dominate the instrument
sounds, while wisely never getting in the way of the voices. I haven't
heard a combo like this since the Trio recordings of Emmylou, Linda and
Dolly.
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