Gordy the moose reviews some of his favourite new submissions to the Roots Music Canada virtual mailbox.
Jim Bowskill and Brittany Brooks had the beginnings of a tasty little sound going on their 2023 full-length debut, Too Many Roads.
Now, a year later, all those ideas have marinaded into one hell of a musical dish on Blissful State of Mind, an album drenched in the sounds of ’60s and ’70s flower power but full of surprises in terms of how those influences manifest themselves.
It’s a hell of an evolution given how quickly it follows their debut, and it’s a particularly impressive achievement given that Jim and Brittany also found the time to get married in that time.
On tracks like “Draw the Line,” “Carousel of Time,” and “You Run To,” they treat us to catchy harmony choruses that are part Ian and Sylvia, part Byrds, part Mamas and Papas.
“Over and Over” and “Linda Lou” showcase Brittany’s absolutely splendid voice, which has the range and elasticity of Joni Mitchell’s but with a slight breathyness that makes it gentler and less shrill on the high end.
“Francis” and “Never Be There Again” have the laid back vibe of some of the Eagles’ mellower numbers. And Jim doesn’t do a half bad job of sounding like Don Henley either.
“Take Me Back” is a fun little country romp with some killer electric guitar picking, and “I Guess So” is crunchy blues rock that has slight shades of Bad Company.
The song craft on this album is really quite exquisite with catchy choruses, sophisticated sections of melody – particularly on the chamber folk-sounding “Over and Over” – and lyrics composed of simple, timeless, impressionistic poetry that’s filled with lovely little turns of phrase.
“Ain’t it time to draw the line in stone rather than sand,” they sing on the chorus of “Draw the Line,” which is rather a propos given the aforementioned nuptials.
If anyone were destined to produce something this good, it may come as no surprise that it would be Jim Bowskill, who made his recording debut as a fedora-sporting pre-teen bluesman and Jeff Healey protege and went on to perform with the Sheepdogs and Blue Rodeo.
But Brittany is a revelation. She had a much more conventional singer-songwriter CV coming into this project, from what I can tell, so hearing her extraordinary writing and that Karen Carpenter-meets-Lulu-meets-Joni voice of hers makes one wonder how she didn’t get on the radar sooner.
I really can’t wait to hear what these two do next, because if they sound this good after two albums then who knows what brilliance they’ll come up with from here.
It’s a shame this came out so late in the year because it may miss some of the best-of-the-year lists it richly deserves to be on. But fortunately it arrived soon enough to make mine.
