Jenn Grant - Compostela

A fast-rising star in her native land, this young Canadian chanteuse comes with impressive credentials and the imprimatur of some serious heavyweights. Juno-nominated this year for both Best Adult Alternative album and Songwriter of Year – she is up against one Mr Leonard Cohen – her acclaimed fifth album features Ron Sexmsith, Sarah Harmer, Buck 65, and Rachel Sermanni. Grant’s crystal-clear voice has that plaintive, pure and airy quality that Canadian female singers seem to specialise in (the fact that she grew up on Prince Edward Island in the country’s remote Atlantic Maritimes might have helped). Compostela is immediately impressive and engaging, guitar, piano and rhythm section embellished with flutes, harps, violins, congas, wurlitzer, piano and lap steel – all utilized to complement the singer and the song.
The gently plucked acoustic guitar and vocals on ‘Bombshell’ make for a strong opener; ‘Trailer Park’ is imbued with lonesome strings, tinkling piano and a gorgeous melody; ‘Stranger In The Night’ boasts a clear Beatles influence (‘She’s Leaving Home’). ‘Barcelona’ is a melancholic elegy inspired by her late mother’s final words, while the sparsely-adorned and lovely ‘Spanish Moon’ continues the reflective mood. Elsewhere, the upbeat ‘Canadian Maple Grove’ offers the kind of experimental sonics and textures that wouldn’t be out of place on a Bjork album; the breezy, summery ‘No-one’s Gonna Love You’ offers a subtle Dolores O’Riordan influence; and ‘Mauve’ is a lush, 1950s-sounding ballad, not a million miles from the Righteous Brothers’ ‘Unchained Melody’.
Impressive.

Key Track - 'Stranger in the Night'