It's a pleasant surprise to know that some musicians somewhere still play with nothing more than a foot stomping beat, a convincing voice, and a wooden instrument and Amy Millan is one of these people. There's a little more in there though, the occasional reverb or echo and then a couple amplified instruments, but at the bones of this piece is just one girl and her guitar. If you thought Kris Kristofferson and Bruce Springsteen were 'old-timey' by going back to traditional means of making music, think again. Plenty of folks are finding that nothing can compare to a chilling voice underneath a set of golden strings.



Arts & Crafts are a Canadian brand and are, with every release, proving that they can mold the landscape of mainstream radio. With acts such as Broken Social Scene tearing up air-waves, Amy Millan comes planting flowers in the aftermath. Although Millan displays a sultry voice, which is like sliding on rough ice, although at times the music is less than appealing. The tunes are often bogged down by dense productions and the acoustic flavors border on simple country tunes you might hear in a log cabin instead of songs which sends your nerves to tingling.



Songs like "Losin You" and "Baby I" are very typical songs which fit into a repertoire of a seasoned country singer who churns out songs like these a mile minute. There's really nothing entirely wrong with them, as songs, other than it would be nice to hear a take on them that I wouldn't naturally expect. The production, singing, and guitar playing on them is exceptional though. On "Baby I" Millan's voice glides along like an airplane and a toe-tapping tune is played underneath her. The chorus resounds and cues another voice which accentuates the range in the song, making it soar a little higher. On "Losin You" Amy is alone and lamenting on a slow and painful loss while playing a carefully picked tune on her guitar.



Other fare on the album ventures into other waters, testing depths with electricity. On indie-rock/folk/pop songs such as "Skinny Boy", "Hard Hearted (Ode To Thoreau)", and "Blue in Yr Eye" Millan extends the instrumentation and pulls in simple complimentary instruments. "Skinny Boy" reminds me of the songs like "Kiss Me" by Six Pence None The Richer, or something equally weepy you might hear on a Dawson's Creek Soundtrack. For a song about a "Skinny Boy" the music is packed and jacked. An electric guitar tears open the chorus, and a set of watery drums plays off in the distance. On "Hard Hearted (Ode To Thoreau)" Millan paints a picture reminiscent of the lonely desolation of the Canadian wilderness while a slide guitar and mandolin play with old-country soul. Millan sings in her usual light voice and it lacks some degree of intensity. Millan then takes it all the way back to the southern flavors of American Heritage in "Blue In Yr Eye" as she plays an upbeat guitar while a mandolin and banjo flay furiously behind her. Although the song is upbeat and seems to call for a southern drawl and infectious voice handling, but Millan comes off carefree.



The album is a great ode to the music which we seem to have all but left behind and, in this, it succeeds. It loses a little bit of depth though when she tries to infuse her music with electronic equipment like Feist did on her debut. Amy Millan's voice doesn't let you grip anything and the songs don't merit the accompaniment. The song writing is fair but nothing that will shake your feet out of your socks, their just simple songs you can sway and tap too. It'll be nice to watch Millan though, she's in good hands and whatever comes out of the Arts & Crafts camp seems to have gold written all over it.



Track Listing

1 Losin You

2 Skinny Boy

3 Ruby II

4 Baby I

5 Headsfull

6 Hard Hearted (Ode To Thoreau)

7 Blue In Yr Eye

8 Come Home Loaded Roadie

9 He Brings Out The Whisky In Me

10 Wayward And Parliament

11 All The Miles

12 Pour Me Up Anothert