Nelly Furtado continues to impress with her latest effort, “Loose”. As usual for Furtado, she continues to explore new ground with her songwriting and looks to continue doing so well into the future. Vancouver based Jakalope is an interesting act that fails to be categorized, alternately sounding like anything from The Smashing Pumpkins to Evanesence to a meth’ed up Madonna, they never fail to be interesting. In the world of hip-hop, no Canadian group seems as poised for superstardom as Dead Celebrity Status. Their first album, “Blood Music” hit the streets to great reviews. Originally formed as a duo, Project Wyze, in 1988, they have since added mix-master DJ Dopey and have shared a stage with Ozzy Osbourne and Public Enemy. Their impressive performances have given them the juice to add appearances by Dave Navarro, Joss Stone and Bif Naked to their recordings. I failed to mention Crash Test Dummies, one of the more promising bands from Winnipeg, due to the uncertainty about their future status. They were enormously influential from about the mid-1990’s to their last release in 2004. It is unfortunate that apparently artistic differences have taken their toll on the Dummies.

Country/Folk

Canadian singers have made tremendous strides in country music over the last several years and dusky voiced Kathleen Edwards is no exception. Her 2005 release “Back to Me” won her critical acclaim in the U.S., appearing on the David Letterman and Jay Leno shows and opening for Bob Dylan and the Rolling Stones. No less interesting, though decidedly more alternative, the Cowboy Junkies have made a career of turning country music on its head. From sultry renditions of Patsy Cline’s “Walking After Midnight” on their 1998 disc “The Trinity Session” to the folkie “Two Soldiers” from 2005’s “Early 21st Century Blues”, which is eerily reminiscent of the 1970’s protest anthems of Dylan and Lennon. Ontario bred Grievous Angels is certainly one of the most interesting country acts to come along in recent years.