I'm Listening To: The Wailin' Jennys, "Bright Morning Stars"

I've been a big fan of The Wailin' Jennys since I first heard one of their songs on a Bob Harris' BBC Radio 2 program back in 2003 or 2004. And since I used to travel to Canada a couple of times a year for work during that time period, I bought my first Jennys CD at my favorite shop in Calgary.

The Canadian trio's latest CD, "Bright Morning Star", doesn't disappoint. Bob chose to play "Across the Sea" on his radio show, and it's a favorite from this new release. My absolute favorite, though, is "Storm Comin'", written by Ruth Moody. (Although Moody was born in Australia, she got to Canada as soon as she could...as the saying goes.) When I first heard it, I wondered if it was a traditional song with a Jennys arrangement. It has a wonderful gospel feel.

While "Bright Morning Star" isn't quite a match for my favorite Jennys CD "40 Days" (that CD's beautifully haunting "Arlington" is one of my all-time favorite songs), I would still recommend it to anyone who enjoys folk and "Americana" music.

Given that the Jennys are Canadian, should I have referred to that as "North Americana" perhaps?

Janet