COLLEEN BROWN plays an early show at the Dakota Tavern on Friday (January 20). Rating: NNNN
Edmonton singer/songwriter Colleen Brown isn’t doing anything futuristic or daring on her third full-length, Dirt, but that’s absolutely fine. Marrying classic folk-pop with traces of jazz and soul, the results are often reminiscent of the late Phoebe Snow or a less ethereal Joni Mitchell. She’s definitely got the vocal chops to pull off this sound, and the production is appropriately warm and intimate.
The album is much more rhythm-focused than most gentle pop music, and manages to swing and get funky without getting too cheesy. Despite the accessible references, the more you listen to Dirt, the more you appreciate its subtle quirkiness and playfulness, both in the album-spanning narrative and the combinations of influences and sounds. You can see why she’s become a bit of a CBC darling and keeps winning awards.
Top track: Fight! Fight! Fight!
