Ballads true country sound

Cold Beans and Broken Eggs
Sean Burns
8-out-of-10

Oshawa, Ontario's Sean Burns is a road worn Country Folk musician with a certain brand and a knack for writing timeless lyrics.

This talented and charismatic entertainer plays no-nonsense folk-country with an ear for melody and tradition. He can hook an audience and hold onto them through his rich vocals and avid storytelling. His soon to be released record, Cold Beans and Broken Eggs, is a collection of tunes and tales about travel, love, longing, and opportunity. Burns channels the likes of Blue Rodeo and Corb Lund on this release, mixing contemporary and classic country styles.

The instrumentation and playing of the backing band is superb, everything you'd like to hear on a country record. Slick slides and rich tones play over top of quick two-stepping drums on the faster tunes, and his ballads are sure to tug at those heart strings. Burns has that true country sound while not being confined to what that industry is currently offering. His freedom to write and produce an independent sound is very refreshing. Mixing up the

Cold Beans and Broken Eggs is a confident step away from the mainstream, full of really great songs. This talented artist should really be proud of this release.

Catch Sean Burns performing live at the 5th Avenue Cup and Saucer on April 18th for a fun and unique experience.

-SEAN CRAIB-PETKAU

Late For War
The Bright Smoke
7-out-of-10

Late For War by Brooklyn's The Bright Smoke is a placid, bluesy, dark contemporary record. The pseudonym of one Mia Wilson, The Bright Smoke is a characterized by her soulful, swaying vocals and mellow distorted guitar. Along the lines of Cat Power or PJ Harvey, The Bright Smoke sings poignant poetry over an ambient, bluesy backing.

Late For War is a slow progressing, emotionally drenched record. The songs are gentle and dark and Wilson's vocals are calm but relentless. Her beautiful, smokey tenor smoothly sings in contrast to the rough electric that accompanies her. She is graceful in verse and confident. The songs are shrouded in mystery and their simplistic nature allows for much reflection.

Focusing around love and relationship, the songs of Late For War are beautifully written. Wilson conveys her messages perfectly and really sets on the listener what she is feeling; a very personal and empathetic listen.

Although the recordings are a little rough around the edges, the style is suiting and makes me feel like she's playing in my living room. This poignant, dark, and elegant record is available at thebrightsmoke.bandcamp.com

-SEAN CRAIB-PETKAU