Stunning harmonies are the key to Winnipeg's Wailin' Jennys, a roots trio too acoustic to qualify as contemporary folk but too poppy to get tagged as a dusty trad act The Wailin' Jennys
40 Days
Jericho Beach/Festival
*** 1/2
Stunning harmonies are the key to Winnipeg's Wailin' Jennys, a roots trio too acoustic to qualify as contemporary folk but too poppy to get tagged as a dusty trad act.
Alto Cara Luft, mezzo Nicky Mehta and soprano Ruth Moody mesh together like sisters on their debut album, which includes three tunes by each singer-songwriter plus a couple of traditionals and covers of Neil Young's Old Man and John Hiatt's Take it Down.
The vibe is vintage CSNY folk-pop, with a touch of earthy roots-rock and a lyrical earnestness that fits in well with a Winnipeg vocal-trio tradition established by The Wyrd Sisters.
Unfortunately, most of the songs are overshadowed by the brilliance of the vocal harmonies. The exceptions: Come All You Sailors, a rollicking Luft composition, and The Parting Glass, an acapella traditional.