Winnipeg vocal trio The Wailin' Jennys made two good moves since their inaugural 2004 CD: they found a solid replacement for departed founding member Cara Luft in singer and multi-instrumentalist Annabelle Chvostek, and they brought all-star instrumentalist Kevin Breit aboard for this, the group's second CD Winnipeg vocal trio The Wailin' Jennys made two good moves since their inaugural 2004 CD: they found a solid replacement for departed founding member Cara Luft in singer and multi-instrumentalist Annabelle Chvostek, and they brought all-star instrumentalist Kevin Breit aboard for this, the group's second CD. No sophomore jinx, here. The aptly titled Firecracker lights up the aural sky with 12 rich original songs, plus one traditional number. With all due respect to Luft, the group is stronger for the changes it has made. This is apparent from the opening track, Chvostek's “The Devil's Paintbrush Road,” a rhythmic number fuelled by the songwriter's strong lead vocal and violin, the group's sweet harmonies, and by Breit's incisive dobro playing. Ruth Moody's “Glory Bound,” first of several lovely ballads, could be something from the American Civil War, with Moody's banjo and Chvostek's violin underscoring the lyrics about "crossin' o'er the great divide." Third Jenny, Nicky Mehta, contributes a haunting song about a failed relationship with “Begin,” the key lyric being the line, "Hey, let go." Two of the strongest songs are Moody's “Prairie Town,” on which Breit plays electric and National guitars as well as mandolin, and the traditional Long Time Traveller, performed a cappella with all three voices in perfect alignment.
4 out of 5 stars