Wayward Angels

This Toronto band may have roots in Cape Breton through front man Michael Brennan, but you’ll find no fiddle tunes here. It’s all solid roots rock with a strong connection to Springsteen, Earle, Blue Mountain, and a little Bottle Rockets. The songs are about real people, whether it’s the Cape Breton coal miner in “Anywhere But Here,” the struggling couple in “Alone Together,” or the aging rockabilly guy in “Rockabilly Ray (Used To Be Something).” Occasionally the vocals get a tad overwrought and clumsy (“Out Of Time”), but they usually keep it lean and muscular. “You’ve Been On My Mind” is a rousing rockabilly number, while “From The Country” has a driving ZZ Top boogie percolating under the twangy elements. The best track is probably “Back Home,” a song about missing the folks that’s neither maudlin nor depressing. It’s a simple remembrance, a bit rose coloured maybe, about the honest joys of home, friends and family. We should all be so lucky.