A-Marie

So a few months ago while perusing Bandcamp (as I often do) I came across three short extracts of rockin' blues infused songs from an Anne-Marie Pelletier (who goes by the name A-Marie). To be honest these snippets had their desired effect and I managed to get in contact with  A-Marie, expressed my enthusiasm and hoped that the full recordings would one day be available... And then earlier this week I received an email containing a link to the songs in all their full glory...

The Blues don't usually feature that often in my comfort zone, but to these untrained ears, of the three tracks here "L'envie" and "Mon nord est au sud" appear to be the most obvious blues-inspired tracks. "L'Envie" kicks off with that solid slide guitar and percussion intro - mentally I'm already in the "groove" - and then A-Marie's voice kicks-in, rasping, honeyed... Honed - I suspect "just right" - on the old whiskey and razor gargle... - especially in the way that she manages to soften her vocals during the songs' more reflective moments. A-Marie also switches from French to English during the soulful chorus (yes, I know that Canada is officially bilingual, but she performs this act so seamlessly). "Mon nord est au sud" is another solid blues-influenced rock track, and one that allows A-Marie to highlight her dynamic range. Both these track have a real ensemble feeling; The band's tight, the feet start tapping, these songs - I suspect -  go down a storm live.

"Maintenant" is very much in the slow-rock vein, the type of song that should allow a singer to highlight and flex their vocal muscles. It's a test that A-Marie passes with considerable ease. The song is perfectly arranged for her voice, allowing her again to demonstrate her vocal dynamics and effortlessly ability hold a note during the soaring refrains. Similar to the more bluesy numbers, the musicianship and song's production complements her stunning vocals. It's a bit of a fave...



Apparently the tracks are a taster for an album that A-Marie is scheduled to release next spring. On the basis of this trio, it's an album I'll be looking out for.

A-Marie Bandcamp
A-Marie Reverbnation

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