Flora Poste

A literature buff from childhood, Montreal-based Melissa Trottier chose the moniker Flora Poste due to her admiration for the independent, resilient spirit of the main character in her favourite childhood novel: Cold Comfort Farm. Though her writing is more confessional than narrative in nature, her theatre background (at the George Brown Theatre School in Toronto) has served her well. She plays with identity and character, taking on the perspective of others with lyrical agility. "Your Boat," which dons a beautiful melody, stands out in this respect. The song invokes the patient yearnings of the mythical Penelope and, more poignantly, that of a close friend's romantic attachment to a fisherman from Nova Scotia, as she longingly waits for the sea to return her lover to shore. Like an ethereal summer breeze, Flora Poste's balmy voice hovers gracefully above her gently strummed guitar ballads. She layers her harmonies, to angelic effect, but her echo-y vocals feel almost too perfect, the production coming off a little too clean. It's easy to overlook, given the record's strengths, and one can only empathize with the perfectionism inherent in an artist's debut. Flora Poste is brimming with potential and as she gains maturity and self-confidence in her singing and songwriting, there can be no doubt that her records will just keep getting better.