It's country, but not as you might think once you hear that word. No, Justin Rutledge is a modest kind of country; a soft malleable voice, a tactful slippery guitar style, spare accompaniment from friends, and words to make and break hearts. Toronto born Rutledge is just embarking on his musical journey, but comparisons with such Canadian greats as Gordon Lightfoot, Stompin Tom, and even Bryan Adams, aren't far off considering this bright-eyed boy's ambition.



What history? There is no history, it seems Rutledge has come from nowhere, and it sounds like it too. From a dusty dark plain, Rutledge sweeps his songs through tattered memories and blazing fires. The music is alive with a real pulse, the one you press your two fingers into, not the one that sends your body jumping, the subtle one that gives you shivers exploding from your spine. It's only my second listen to Rutledge's new album, and I haven't heard his debut, but I'm already convinced that Rutledge will find an audience among Canadians.



The album opens modestly with "Robin's Tune", a very simple love song, but everything after it shifts and changes like the winds on the dark dusty tongue that is Justin Rutledge's voice. Regret, reflection, and remembrance eminate indefinitely from Rutledge's songs, so nothing too unusual as far as Country music is concerned. The songs are simple though, reflecting the wilderness and bitter cold wasteland that is Canada. When Rutledge sings "You'll be mine come summer time" on "Come Summertime" it feels like it will never come. On "This is War", one of the lengthier ensemble tracks from the album, Rutledge sounds like he tears his throat out and throws it down to the ground by the end, but it's gradual and laborious. By this point in listening, Rutledge's melodies might grow stale to some, but they retain a gentle and painful reality deep within their studied notes. The finale "I'm Gonna Die (One Sunny Day)" carries a chorus that sounds like a letter to an invisible son or wife. It is another step-by-step process of pain; eloquant and devestating.



For a new generation, Rutledge will stand as the continuation of Lightfoot's legacy and Young's youthful experimentation, while to an older one he might be a little harder to accept, but I believe he'll be welcomed by many. I for one find Rutledge a refreshing voice in Canadian singing and songwriting. Watch out on the album for the absolutely destructive "Suffering of Pepe O'Malley (pt. IV)" for a furious exploration of what Rutledge has got in store.



Track Listing:



1. Robin's Tune

2. I'm Your Man, You're My Radio

3. Does It Make You Rain?

4. Come Summertime

5. Backseat Honeymoon/Blue Is What I Do

6. The Suffering of Pepe O'Malley (pt. IV)

7. Emily Returns

8. I Am With Her Where the Avalanche Begins

9. This Is War

10. I'm Gonna Die (One Sunny Day)