Another Canadian with a great voice and a selection of astonishing songs
What is it with Canada these days? The country is churning out Americana, Folk and even Country music of the highest quality and only we Brits seem to be taking any notice.
As regular readers of my missives will know, I try to listen to albums a few times before reading the Press Release and I’m pleased I did with THE LIVING RECORD; and I’ll tell you why at the end.
I’ve always liked a strong album opener and Christa delivers with great aplomb. You Were Here In Michigan has a great marching beat to it and Ms Couture uses her scrumptious voice to weave a tale that will hook you like a big fat trout.
The guitar playing throughout is both understated and exceptional, in an Indie kind of way which manages to lift what are essentially Folk songs onto a new level that will appeal to old fogies like me (and you?) as well as the youngsters who are currently fawning over the Mumfords and Jake Bugg.
The best example would be Parasite which will no doubt be cranked up to 9 when played live; but on the album straddles Folk and Folk-Rock in a particularly British manner.
Hopeless Situation is one of the finest crafted songs I’ve heard this year and Christa’s voice songs close to breaking several times on this particularly haunting tune.
Christa duets with Jim Byrne on the charming love song, Paper Anniversary which also features some ace pedal steel and Hammond Organ and it’s so good I could happily listen to a full album, of these two singing songs like this.
The album closes with a striking piano led heart-breaker called The Way of the Dodo (The Living Record) which after a few listens; appears to be about someone who is missing from her life and the memories that they have left behind.
Then I read the Press Release; Christa Couture was, herself a teenage cancer sufferer but did not let that stop her making music and living her life to the full; only to suffer the death of an infant son.
When you know that you can read even deeper meanings into the songs; but they certainly aren’t maudlin in way; as Christa has used her grief and what many of us would think of as ‘bad luck’ to create a series of striking and fascinating songs that occasionally border on poetry set to music.
The Rocking Magpie 