Joel Plaskett is an award-collecting Nova Scotian who trades in a particularly exhilarating brand of folk-rock. This album is a truncated single CD version of a Canada-release triple album over-burdened in its original incarnation with references to the number three.
The swaggering opener 'Deny, Deny, Deny' blends the rural sensibilities of the Mumfords with the folk-rock of Tom Petty, all drizzled with a Celtic rootsiness. The pulsating 'Through and Through and Through' hints at Petty dabbling at swamp rock, and there's a Celtic nobility, if that doesn't seem like a contradiction in terms, to 'All the Way Down the Line'. 'You Let Me Down' is raw country-rock with a wry smile, 'Run, Run, Run' a lumbering rock-soul offering that evokes Lennon and Big Star before it soars beyond both. 'Safe in Your Arms' is heavy, 'Sailor's Eyes' could be George Harrison on a Celtic detour, 'New Scotland Blues' is an ace sliver of acoustic folk and 'Wishful Thinking' is Credence Clearwater for beginners.
Plaskett's obsession with one number suggests he needs to get out more often. Nonetheless, there's sufficient quality here to keep you interested. One is tempted to award it three stars. In truth, it deserves better than that. Who knows, this could be the start of a serious relationship.