Nine Mile

In spite of, or perhaps because of, the countless flip-flop wearin', acoustic guitar totin' dudes that regularly massacre Bob Marley's "One Love," reggae and folk rock have never been combined into something new that can stand on its own. Nine Mile's driving force, singer/guitarist D'Ari Pouyat, knows both worlds well and has made it his mission on his band's latest effort to completely erase any genre boundaries. On the whole, he succeeds effortlessly, incorporating pedal steel, banjo and upright piano into his plaintive songwriting ― the band take their name from Marley's birthplace ― with a homespun vibe holding everything together. Perhaps only in Canada could such a collision of styles make sense but Country Porno Electric Fireplace never draws attention to itself in that way. D'Ari's songs are honest and hopeful, which is all that's ultimately needed for this album to find the wide audience it deserves.