Ruth Moody, Nicky Mehta, and Heather Masse are at it again with their killer trademark three part harmonies in their fifth studio album “Fifteen.” Named to commemorate their fifteen-year anniversary as a group.
The Canadian folk-roots trio first graced our ears back in 2005, with their first studio album “40 Days.” The critically acclaimed album won a Juno Award (the Canadian equivalent to a Grammy) for roots and traditional album of the year, but that is not the only album that got award buzz.
The album “Firecracker” was nominated for another Juno Award, and won a Folk Alliance award for contemporary release of the year.
In their fifth studio album, the trio made a tribute to some of their favorite tracks. The album features covers such as Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers,” Warren Zevon’s “Keep Me in Your Heart,” the old hymn “The Churchyard,” Hank Williams’ “Weary Blues From Waiting,” Dolly Parton’s “Light of a Clear Blue Morning,” Paul Simon’s “Loves Me Like a Rock,” and Emmylou Harris’ “Boulder to Birmingham.” But don’t let the fact that this is a cover album off put you. Their beautiful three part harmonies and light instrumentals make these songs so different and unique, you forget they are covers. These ladies know how to create a killer album and really make a song their own.
The featured track on “Fifteen” is none other than Tom Petty’s “Wildflowers.” While the Wailin’ Jennys version does reflect the original, there harmony and soft guitar make a beautiful clean cut version. My personal favorite cover off of the album was Paul Simon’s “Love Me Like a Rock.” With no instrumentals and a dramatic stomp and clap throughout the song, I thought it was the most attention grabbing and unique of them all. However, the entire album has a simplistic theme and each song is beautifully done.