Doug Taylor

This tribute hones in on Dylan’s less-acclaimed output, including the overtly religious Saved album and dubious long-winded tunes like “Brownsville Girl.” The latter benefits from editing, extra beats and a soulful rendering by comedian Reggie Watts. Craig Finn of The Hold Steady and Glen Hansard from the film Once are two more artists who luxuriate […]

Downie’s time outside The Tragically Hip has been a bit of a space walk, teetering toward performance rant. It’s reassuring to find him in front of a band as solid as The Sadies, who benefit from Downie’s charisma. At times, you’d swear it is The Hip. The Sadies are capable chameleons. They can play country […]

Gryner seems to be appreciated more by fellow artists than the masses. Broader acclaim can never be ruled out if she keeps making albums like this. Her vocal range is uniquely fluid. The band and songs accentuate this asset most vividly. Opener “Pioneer” is so exuberant and concise it belongs on the radio as an […]

Linguists could get lost in the words of Radio Radio: Acadian French, Franglais and invention as befits rhythm. On the title cut, a hockey fan might swear he hears “Crosby” but it’s “cross-breed,” of a panda with an iguana, no less. Two fellows from Clare, NS and one from Moncton constitute the group’s core. In […]

It would appear Joel Gibb now is The Hidden Cameras. A changing cast of players pitches in on Age. Intermittently, we get spirited violin and cellos, sometimes a dozen voice choir. Then, on “Gay Goth Scene,” here’s Mary Margaret O’Hara reprising beyond-Yoko yelps she performed for the mutant in the film Splice. “We conditioned you […]

For a combination of storytelling, rocking out and keeping it fresh, this Southern band may be the most reliable in the world. Originators Patterson Hood and Mike Cooley carry on after 15 years and numerous personnel changes, swapping songs and licks on their handcrafted guitars. Drive-By Truckers is the beaker where Lynyrd Skynyrd, The Replacements […]

Cape Bretoner Stone took his act to Toronto and got some sheen from producers Jason Collett (Broken Social Scene) and Howie Beck. The most BSS-sounding track is “Signs of Life,” with thundering drums, gentle horns and tendency to run long. Some touches, like prominent looped handclaps on the title song, run counter to the east […]

Hip-hop and African artists fire up their games to create a unique, arresting alloy. Driscoll is a US-born, UK-based rapper and beatmeister. Guinea native Kouyate steps out from his family band, Ba Cissoko, to drive the kora into new dimensions. His instrument, a West African harp, benefits from varying degrees of tension and amplification. Kouyate’s […]

With the Dinner is Ruined Band, Canada’s most disturbed singer-songwriter has extra propulsion behind his missives. Armageddon Blues may be his angriest, most political set, following up a bracing 2012 rant, “Lucky For You.” One can imagine Harness doing research on Toronto’s Bay Street, getting steamed at the smug suits and speculators, then writing it […]

Not averse to cadging a lyric here or going on a rant there, Dinah Thorpe keeps it fresh and flowing on her third album. Anyone who remembers Meryn Cadell, another Toronto singer-talker a generation ago, will be familiar with such an issue-driven approach. Rob Ford, Stephen Harper and pushy motorists get Thorpe’s attention, the opposite […]

Three albums in a dozen years are sufficient to mark the Refugee All-Stars as distinct among African groups for their varied attack. The North American ear generates a physical response to hearty brass-guitar throwdown, even while wishing for more distortion in the latter. We like to rock. Reggae rhythm is reserved for sad songs about […]

Fresh off winning the CBC Searchlight competition for new acts, Newfoundlander Downey justifies the kudos on his second album. He sings like your buddy. The Ambiguous Case is a spirited, mostly acoustic band that may remind you of sunny 1970s folk-rock hits like “Sweet City Woman.” Banjo and trumpet get along beautifully on “Outta Your […]