Reviewed by Tony Cummings

In Canada the brothers are popular fixtures of the festival scene and are now venturing out further afield (including a brief appearance in London this month). Their publicity says that they play bluegrass, folk and rock and indeed the first three tracks on 'Northern Redemption' fit into each of one of these categories - the opening title track with its mountain folk drive; "Window" with its haunting Simon & Garfunkel-style harmonies; and "Nothing At All" with its rock drive. But it's not simply eclecticism that the Ontario-based trio bring to the party. Their songs, many of which were composed by John Abrams, are full of memorable images, for instance "Planet Of Seasons" ("God spoke to me/With a vision in the park he said 'You'll see/Don't go alone/For your stairway to the stars begins at home'"), while their ability to cover a Coldplay song "Viva La Vida" and make it sound like it always had a pumping banjo riff shows wit and imagination. Their songs are often about wives and girlfriends left behind as they constantly tour and the production on this set from Chris Brown (not the R&B singer/actor but the Canadian singer/songwriter) is a perfect fit, retaining all of the brothers' homespun charm. All in all, an invigorating listen.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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