Callan Furlong

Rootsy Toronto troubadour (and Swamp Yankees member) Callan Furling is just 21 and looks even younger, but this gig showed he has a musical and lyrical maturity beyond his years. He featured material from his recent debut EP, The Fool I Was Before, mixed in with material from outside writers. A version of "New Girl Now" by local peer Jack Marks went over well, while the lightest moment of the set came on Roger Miller's typically wacky "Reincarnation." Furlong has a clear, strong and versatile voice, equally at home on hurtin' ballads (he closed out with Hank's "Your Cheatin' Heart") , a rockabilly-laced tune like "The Sweetest Thing," and soulful ballad "Out On The Town." He also impressed as a lyricist, via some classic country lines like "she was too pretty to be good and too good to be true." His easy stage presence and the skilled accompaniment of his three bandmates helped make this one sparkling set. On his Facebook bio, Furlong terms his sound "counterfeit cowboy music," but it sure sounded like the real retro deal here.