Doug Taylor

Sweden continues to to hit well above its weight in the area of pop music that can stop you in your tracks. On her sophomore effort, Li sings words that live up to the gothic echo, organ and rhythm settings of Björn Yttling from Peter, Björn and John. Mystery and longing like the Shangri-Las resonate […]

Acoustic bass and guitar, violin and mandolin with a bit of banjo, when played like this, create more electricity than they require. On its fourth album, the quartet from Toronto touches on jazz, bluegrass, chamber music and future mysteries without lingering for long. When drums check in, as on “Last Payphone in Parkdale,” they test […]

Here’s a talent worthy of the hype. The London-based singer Adele, who names albums for her age at the time, won two Grammys with her debut. 21 fulfills every promise suggested by 19 and raises a few more. Like Amy Winehouse, Adele’s a sharp songwriter with great support, absorbing the richness of vintage soul and […]

With a mission statement to “obliterate genre distinctions,” Jennings and his new band make flow from track to track a low priority. The opener, “Wake Up,” appropriates Pink Floyd with gentle menace and dynamic resolution, in this case about how television and mind control. The closest thing to a country stomper from this son of […]

Wearing those breezy thrift-store frocks must conjure music of the same vintage. Then you go on tour with Stuart McLean. (It worked for Jill Barber and Meaghan Smith.) There is no disputing these gorgeous harmonies. Grandma will eat this stuff up and likely have a flashback, especially during “Kiss Me in the Kitchen.” “Kingston” is […]

Considering everything on Bailey Rae’s first two albums came from her own pen, the cooing Brit offers a departure here with five covers. The live version of “Que Sera Sera,” though heartily applauded, hardly rates nearly half the disc’s length. The rest is stellar in range and execution. Bob Marley’s “Is This Love” makes it […]

An octet is bound to experience change over 40 years, and Roomful of Blues has seen a few new faces. A consistent sound is what holds its audience. A new singer like Phil Pemberton keeps things fresh, especially if nobody in the band writes songs. One trademark is the brisk exchange among guitar, trumpet and […]

They mean “content” as a noun, not an adjective and this can only be good. Despite a change on drums and bass, Gang of Four is back in all its fury. Skronk-punk guitarist Andy Gill still manages to sound like nobody else. Singer Jon King belts out the lyrics with both passion and clarity. The […]

Their third album finds the duo of Brandy Zdan and Dave Quanbury with more miles travelled for their dark characters. On “Mahogany Veneer,” the shared road trips enhance all experience. There’s nothing like boarded-up buildings in a place like Memphis to break the spell of its history. Home is Winterpeg…I mean, Winnipeg. On “Frozen Town,” […]

This debut from Winnipeg charges out of the gate with a good mix of settings for its trump card, the moody baritone of Michael Petka Falk. He can summon at will the ghost of Joy Division’s Ian Curtis. That’s obvious by the third song, “Someone Lit a Fire Under Kruschev,” which allows one to dance […]

Hudson, keyboard man and best beard in The Band, has selected 18 songs from the catalogue and invited fellow Canucks to have a go. When it shines, it’s a revelation. Mary Margaret O’Hara is eccentric and passionate on “Out of the Blue.” Both artist and song are elevated by the performance. Similarly, Neil Young and […]