Song Sung Blue

I was at The Rivoli on Thursday to hear some folk/light country from Sweet Alibi and Jadea Kelly. These two bands often tour together as co-headliners, last time at The Dakota Tavern. With Toronto being Kelly's hometown, or it was before she moved to the States, the latter usually sings the second slot here.

First up tonight was Sweet Alibi, a trio from the prairies. Their songs had a bit of folk and new country. I'm on the fence about their music. It usually comes from a place of deep emotion, such as a song written while sitting in a hospital parking lot worrying about their mom. Yet the lyrics and melody often fall short of conveying such moving truths. As such, it was their covers that highlighted their talent: Bob Dylan's Gotta Serve Somebody, Leonard Cohen's Almost Like The Blues, and Khari Wendell McClelland's Song of the Agitator.

Being back in her old haunts, Kelly had plenty of musician friends out to see her including Mélanie Brûlé and Lydia Persaud who contributed some guest vocals. The women of Sweet Alibi also took the stage for back-up harmonies. She sang mostly slow sad songs, as she wryly acknowledged, that had a country-tinged pop vibe. Sometimes that got a bit pedestrian but more often, her great ear for melody and her lyrical phrasing elevated the music. They were deceptively simple verses that portrayed rich imagery. If Mariah is her Jolene, then that's a good legacy, though the combination of Kelly and Persaud on Beauty was also pretty dang great too.