MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: SUZIE VINNICK - SHAKE THE LOVE AROUND

After a couple of acoustic albums, this Ontario favourite singer/songwriter from the roots field returns with a full band album. It's hard to single out one aspect to focus on with Vinnick, as she writes strong songs and sings with tons of emotion, plus plays both guitar and bass with authority. And when she does choose a cover, she makes it her own. Check out her version of Percy Mayfield's Danger Zone, which she does solo, just her and her bass, pouring her heart in to the vocal, and making us realize the world's still in an uproar these days.

With the full band, Vinnick turns up the soulful sounds, with Find Some Freedom an inspiring gospel-flavoured number featuring a guest solo blast from Kevin Breit, and Colin Linden doing the same on slide for Crying A River. On Creaking Pines, Vinnick conjures up a dark, creepy and slow groove over writer Kent Theaker's ghost story, with a spooky vocal to help the mood. But then she turns right around on All I Wanna Do, with a great bit of fun in All I Wanna Do with its slinky New Orleans vibe. There are several co-writes with some of the best blues-roots folks around, including Steve Strongman, Treasa Lavasseur, and Matt Andersen. That last pair close off the set with Drift Away, a thoughtful, dignified ballad that really shows off Vinnick's luminous voice. Again, it's a real toss-up as to which kind of song here I admire most, and thank goodness we get lots to choose from.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: TAMPA - BELATED LOVE

Hey, it's release day for the debut album from the Moncton band, Tampa, called Belated Love. New band, old friends actually. This is three members of the group Danger Cat, now transformed with a new sound into Tampa, and adding a real ringer in Katrine Noël from the much-loved Les Hay Babies, newly deputized as the group's bass player. Speaking of ringers, Tampa made a smart move drafting in producer Joe Grass, sonic adventurer, N.B.'er by birth, and guitarist to the stars (Patrick Watson, etc.) in Montreal.

The phrase has become so frustratingly overused that it's now meaningless, but I'd call this real alternative rock music. It has all the recognizable traits of your basic rock song, but messes with them all with bright, new ideas. The verse-chorus-verse structure gets tossed, even the basic sounds of the instruments get manipulated. For every little retro moment, there's something to counter it on the adventurous and new side. If Richard Lloyd and Television came along now, I think this would be the kind of record they'd make. It's catchy as all get out, funky and danceable, and just crammed full of great ideas.

It's fascinating listening to all the individual guitar parts, sharp chords or stinging little riffs, pretty lines that run in and out with the melodies. There will be three, four or more of these in each song, along with different vocal styles, from single leads from Nic LeBlanc, to double-tracked ones to harmonies and blankets of effects. There's nothing better than adventurous music meeting adventurous production. There's an album release show today (Mar. 09) at the Capital Complex in Fredericton, and the big launch party is Saturday at Salle Bernard-LeBlanc in Moncton.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: NEIL YOUNG - HARVEST MOON (Vinyl)

It's getting hard to keep up with all the new albums, movies and TV shows Neil Young is putting out, mixed in with the constant stream of reissues, plus of course the currently free content on his website archives, all of his released music streamable. We wait anxiously for his new flick, Paradox, filmed on the Earth tour, to debut on Netflix, and his Roxy: Tonight's The Night Live album to be released on Record Store Day in April. But don't miss out on this release, slipping out during this brief lull in the schedule of new stuff.

This is the first readily available version of this Young favourite on vinyl in Canada and the U.S., after a brief availability at last November's Black Friday RSD. It came out in 1992, when vinyl was pretty much dead, so it didn't get a release then, except in Europe. Now it's a three-sided album, to cover the 50-plus minutes and keep the fidelity high, with the fourth side an etched graphic of the cover image. The extra side is very appreciated, as this largely acoustic album boasts some of the warmest-sounding songs of Young's career, ideal for a vinyl listening.

The album marked a real burst in popularity for Young, when the new generation of MuchMusic and MTV viewers embraced him. Marketed, with Young's active approval, as a followup of sorts to Harvest, for that generation the two albums are spiritually connected. Young used many of the same players and singers, including Linda Ronstadt, James Taylor, Kenny Buttrey, Tim Drummond and Ben Keith, and even copied the style of playing. Listen to the acoustic guitar on War Of Man, right down to the chord changes, it echoes his playing on that earlier album. He drops the phrase "old man" in You and Me, and the set positively reeks of nostalgia. One Of These Days is a tribute to the '70's musicians and friends ("And I'm gonna thank that old country fiddler/and all those ruff boys who play that rock and roll"), while there are a couple of tributes to his then-wife Pegi and their initial courtship.

So Young knew exactly what he was doing, but at the same time, these are for the most part really great songs, and it was a welcome return to acoustic music after the 80's dabbling in proto-electro, rockabilly, country, blues and doom rock. Also it was yet another really great album after 1989's Freedom, 1990's Ragged Glory and the 1991 live set Weld. And now listening back decades later, now that what's new and old doesn't matter, we can appreciate that it is a strong companion to Harvest. And it's even better on vinyl.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: VANCE JOY - NATION OF TWO

The Riptide hitmaker from Australia releases his second album, with more acoustic singer-songwriter music. There's lots more coming in the Riptide vein, potential hit singles, some already hits in his home, with his trademark ukulele prominent, or at least acoustic guitar. Then the songs build, with lots more vocals added, wordless chorus bits of "oh-oh-whoa-oh" and "buh-ba-buh-ba", more instruments join in and it's all catchy as hell.

Catchy, but a bit too repetitive perhaps. The formula doesn't get changed much. We're Going Home adds brass, which makes it stand out, and current single Saturday Sun has that bright ukulele right off the bat, still a winning and different sound. But they are all love songs, all sentimental, and the same mellow style throughout. What sounds great as individual tracks overwhelms you the course of 13.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: SHOVELS & ROPE - BUSTED JUKEBOX VOL. 2

Shovels and Rope have always been about mixing things up for surprising results. Michael Trent and Cary Ann Hearst started out in separate groups, then with separate solo careers, then teaming up to tour, then marrying, then playing together and finally forming this band. It's always been a combo of both of their styles, and hard to pin down from folk to country to roots to rock. These Busted Jukebox sets are about mixing it up with their friends, and mixing all their styles into different takes on favourite covers. I'm all for it.

There isn't even a firm concept on the album itself, so you'll get Brandi Carlile as a guest on one of Trent's songs, Cleanup Hitter, no guests at all on a cover of Chuck Berry's You Never Can Tell, some classic covers featuring well-known guests and some more obscure one, and more obscure guests. The one overall connection is that they all work well. Indianola (a/k/a Owen Bradley) joins his pal/producer Trent for a slow, dreamy cover of The Hollies' Air That I Breathe, with Hearst's harmonies and a cool banjo line. Matthew Logan Vasquez takes time off from his group Delta Spirit to do a Midwest version of Untitled 1 by Sigur Ros. Americana favourite John Fullbright steps out of character to sing Leonard Cohen's I'm Your Man.

Bigger names include Nicole Atkins on Concrete Blonde's Joey and Rhett Miller singing Do You Love Me Know by The Breeders. Best of them all comes from Hayes Carll, as he and Shovels and Rope completely re-imagine The Clash's Death Or Glory, as a shit-kicking mandolin party tune. You can overthink the value of these things, but when it's a fun listen, that's all that really matters.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: SUE FOLEY - THE ICE QUEEN

The Ice Queen is on fire on this release, her first for Edmonton's beloved Stony Plain label. Sounding relaxed and pleased to be in the studio, Foley has returned to Austin where she spent much of her early career, and recorded this new one with lots of pals, stars and influences. The good vibes come over plain as day, with Foley singing and playing at the top of her game, and her new songs sharp and smart.

Indeed, Foley's writing so well, I'm tempted to call this a singer-songwriter album, especially as she stretches on songs Death Of A Dream, which is jazz-influenced, and The Dance, a solo acoustic flamenco-styled number. The lyrics, especially to the latter, are inspired, The Dance a dramatic tale you'd never find from another blues performer. There's also a solo take on the Carter Family's Cannonball Blues, where she shows off her mastery of that style of country blues storytelling.

Worry not though, electric blues fans, there's lots of that too, featuring one heck of a team, featuring Double Trouble/Arc Angel drummer Chris Layton, producer Mike Flanigin (Jimmie Vaughan) on keys, Chris Maresh (Eric Johnson) on electric bass, Johnny Bradley (Gary Clark Jr.) on standup bass, and The Texas Horns. In other words, some of the best of Austin. Then add in a trio of special guests ... Jimmy Vaughan, Charlie Sexton and Billy Gibbons ... and the party really gets going. Foley won't be overshadowed though. Her lead playing stings throughout, and her significant drawl plus sweet higher range gives her a fascinating vocal style. With all these elements firing at once, it's time to consider Foley among the very top tier of blues stars in North America.

MUSIC REVIEW OF THE DAY: JETHRO TULL - HEAVY HORSES (NEW SHOES EDITION)

I'm repeating myself here, but once again, the Tull camp sets the standard for album reissues with is ongoing series. It's not difficult, it's just treating the material and the fans properly by giving them everything all at once, and in high-quality audio and packaging. That means all the associated session material, from B-sides to unreleased numbers to alternates, lots of live work, and even video. You get multiple mixes of everything on DVD, and even a hidden track. The generous 96-page book has the entire story of the album, not fluffy and overly praising, but realistic and fact-based, warts and all. And when you put all these boxes together over the course of the decade covered so far, you get the complete history.

Heavy Horses was the second of Ian Anderson's trilogy of rural England-themed album, coming after 1977's Songs From The Wood. Like the rest of his '70's album, there was a loose lyrical concept, stemming from his move to the English countryside. The songs were more folk-based than other Tull albums, but still had lots of other elements, including lots of strings and some heavier guitar moments. It was a sadder, darker album though, with regrets that some of the old rural values were gone, as symbolized by the replacement of the workhorse by the modern tractor. It's a pretty well established theme, you'll find it in Lord Of The Rings, for instance, and I'll certainly take that over somebody stumbling through the writing of another love song. The title track, Moths, One Brown Mouse, these are all strong Tull songs with good melodies and drama. The variety of music makes this album, and its predecessor two of the better '70's releases, a step above works such as A Passion Play and Minstrel In The Gallery.

Tull fans will know that the next album in line was the double-set Live-Bursting Out. Instead of a simple reissue of that, it's included here, not just the original, but the full show from which it was taken, from Berne, Switzerland in May 1978. Importantly you get the song Heavy Horses back in the set list to give you the whole experience of what was a really strong tour. Anderson's stage banter is funny and engaging, Martin Barre is on fire on guitar and the whole band shows why they were one of the top touring draws of the decade. It's a strong mix of the big favourites, such as Aqualung, Too Old To Rock and Roll, Too Young To Die and a long segment of Thick As A Brick, and lots of the new material. I've always liked '70's Jethro Tull, and these boxes have made me appreciate them even more, learn a lot and enjoy revisiting, a great experience for music collectors.