Kat Goldman

Having started a new phase of her life three years ago in Boston, the Toronto-born Goldman draws strongly on feelings of displacement for her third album. It puts her in line with countless other singer-songwriters who found a new perspective through exile, but Goldman displays highly attuned powers of observation throughout these 11 tracks. Combined with unhurried production reminiscent of New England forbearers such as James Taylor and Dar Williams, Gypsy Girl is the sort of bittersweet folk to which many less literate artists aspire but rarely achieve. The best compliment that could be paid to Goldman's efforts is noting the strong echoes of Blue/Court & Spark-era Joni Mitchell on tracks such as "The Road" and "Letter From Paris." Goldman is little-known outside of Toronto, but with songs as strong as those on Gypsy Girl, that shouldn't be the case for very much longer.