Jadea Kelly

This singer-songwriter is a popular member of the Toronto, ON roots scene, and the high quality of this, her second album, deserves to bring her wider attention. Kelly's sound falls a little more on the country side of the fence than many of her peers, and her vocals have the unaffected, openly emotional quality needed to shine in that context. If you can judge an artist by the company they keep, then Kelly must be rated highly. Her band here includes Blake Manning (Blue Rodeo), Jason Sniderman (Blue Peter) and John Showman (Creaking Tree String Quartet), while her chief collaborator on the album is producer/multi-instrumentalist David Baxter. He co-wrote two songs, including gently haunting ode to heartbreak "The Sound" (written with Justin Rutledge). Kelly shows impeccable taste in choosing outside material, covering Lori Yates's powerful "Walking Wounded" and Jack Marks's "Hazel." Her compositions lose nothing in comparison. This is a delightful album.