Joel Plaskett

Three ***

Canada and durable songwriters go together like strawberries and cream, and, lo and behold, here's another one from the great Northern vastness. Nova Scotian singer-songwriter Joel Plaskett has been garlanded in his homeland (lots of Juno Awards, a batch of Canadian Folk Music gongs, etc), and this special release – a collection culled from his Polaris-nominated triple album, Three– looks set to introduce him on this side of the Atlantic. If you're looking for a style reminiscent of Canada's greats (Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, Neil Young), prepare to be disappointed. Thankfully, Plaskett has some neat tricks of his own, notably a quirky stance full of indie outlines, which reference the likes of Big Star and Crowded House. There's still some way to go before he is fit for premier league matchplay, but on the evidence of this it won't be too long.

See joelplaskett.com

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