Americana act Po’ Girl have really pushed the boundaries of the genre with their fifth album Follow Your Bliss.
The familiar, heartfelt country-music lyrics backed by banjo and dobro are still there but the act, who are originally from Vancouver, Canada have used a far broader pallet.
There are elements not just of jazz and soul, but gospel and even European folk with more unusual instruments such as clarinet and accordian coming to the fore. Its packed full of surprises and is an ambitious mix that works well, especially backed with the very different vocal styles of lead singers; the more traditional country music lilt of Allison Russell and the rawer emotion of Awna Teixeira.
Russell’s ‘Kathy’ opens the album. It’s a simple and effective track with guitar building up gradually to include banjo and trumpets before Teixeira joins in on backing vocals. It shows that Follow Your Bliss is a class apart from other Americana albums.
Teixeira takes over lead singing duties on track two ‘Montana’, a more standard country tune, but with a major twist as electric piano and clarinet take centre stage. The album continues on this similar mix of themes, introducing new sounds in a lush mix of styles. Among the standouts are Teixeira’s ‘Pink Shoes’ and Russell’s ‘Go Easy’. These are among the slower tunes, but have a genuine passion and sweetness.
The PR blurb accompanying our review copy is right to highlight the “new heights of musicianship and songwriting maturity” of the album. This is one of the highlights of the year for us at Neon Filler, for its range and ability to take Americana, or ‘urban roots music’ as they call it, to a new level.
8/10
by Joe Lepper
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