Lindi Ortega has been rather colourfully described as the "love child of Dolly Parton and Johnny Cash, and listening to her excellent third album you can understand the remark. Canadian by birth (to an Irish mother and a Mexican father), Ortega is now based in Nashville after years on the Toronto indie scene. She cites Cash as a major influence, and his embrace of the dark side of life is mirrored in her own songs. There's real honesty and energy in these twangy, reflexive questionings of the heart and head. Though rockabilly courses through Tin Star (Hard as This, All These Cats), Ortega's voice aches with real presence on slower tracks such as the title song and Lived and Died Alone. Intrigued? Check out Ortega's shows in Galway's Róisín Dubh, Dublin's Sugar Club, and Belfast's Black Box on January 10th, 11th and 12th. lindiortega.ca
Download: Hard as This, Lived and Died Alone