D5

Wilfred Langmaid
On the record

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Various Artists: Atlantic Voices - Rhino / Warner

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Atlantic Canadian female singer/songwriters have been a hallmark of the musical heritage of our area. That has never been truer than it is today, and the compilation Atlantic Voices is powerful proof.

Generally, it is neat to hear the typical Atlantic Canada music threads through many of the songs - love, loss, and defiant survival in the lyrics and country spices in the instrumentation of almost all of the songs.

Some will find their favourites among the 14 artists included, be it the quirkiness of vets like Julie Doiron or Ruth Minniken, the nods to the 1930s and 40s in Meghan Smith, or the typical, timeless female singer/songwriter strains shown by relative newcomers like Rebekah Higgs and Meaghan Blanchard.

Others will hear echoes of established stars, be it Ireland's Eleanor McEvoy in Minniken or New Englander Aimee Mann in Sherry Ryan.

All, however, will have to concede that we often overlook just how many great female singer/songwriters we have here in Atlantic Canada today and rejoice that this helps right that wrong - both in our own backyard and beyond.

This Providence: Who Are You Now? - Fueled By Ramen/Warner

The American emo pop/rock band This Providence has spent the past decade honing its chops. A major label act since 2004, they have smoothed out their sound considerably with their third album Who Are You Now?

The 13-track album has hooks that fuse the roots of 60s pop with pop of this decade, but the interesting lynchpin of it all is 80s pop. Images of The Cure, Tears For Fears, and Gowan pop up through the album, making this an album which could end up appealing to more than one generation and more than one radio format.

Bat For Lashes: Two Suns - Parlophone/EMI

This is an example of a fine piece of work which will hopefully not be lost amidst the spectacle.

After bursting on the scene with her 2006 debut Fur And Gold, the Pakistan-born, Brighton, England-based Natasha Khan has reworked her exotic and esoteric pop and her overall stage show - complete with two alter egos - ergo, two suns.

The new album Two Suns is definitely a stylistic shift. However, the changes in personal and musical persona do not change the fact that this is, above all else, ambitious pop which takes the lush female singer/songwriter mould into a great new direction.

Fredericton-based freelance writer Wilfred Langmaid has reviewed albums in The Daily Gleaner since 1981, and is a past judge for both the Junos and the East Coast Music Awards. His column appears each Saturday.