Our new guest blogger, Jordon Chiarelli, shares his thoughts on the album. I once met a drunken woman on a train who told me that folk music was dead – it progressed into modern day country. She was on her way to a Keith Urban concert. I, like many, know that folk music is very much alive. For instance, Basia Bulat will release her highly anticipated second LP, Heart Of My Own, later this month on Rough Trade Records. Basia’s first release, Oh My Darling, gained much attention pushing Bulat into the underground spotlight where she triumphantly won over crowds across the United States, Australia, Europe and her home land of Canada. Oh My Darling even received a prestigious Polaris Prize nod (a huge deal in Canada) in 2008. In a nutshell, Heart Of My Own, picks up where Bulat left off on her first album. What stands out is the softness of Bulat’s voice and her dainty strumming in tracks like ‘Sparrow’ & ‘The Shore’. Bulat’s songs are often courageously vulnerable – almost haunting – and one can sense the inspiration Bulat gathered from her long travels across the world. The songs were written during Bulat’s rigorous touring schedule over the past year. Bulat even took on Canada’s great white north, spending five days in Dawson City (Yukon Territory). ‘I felt my mind was overwhelmed with ideas. It had been a long-time dream of mine to make it to the Yukon, so to finally accomplish that, and for it to be possible because of my music, was also a very overwhelming thing’ says Bulat. Anyone interested in the likes of Tiny Vipers, Fleet Foxes, or even, Julie Doiron or The Arcade Fire – to name a few Canadians – is sure to appreciate Heart Of My Own, and lovers of Bulat’s first LP are sure to embrace her new material with little to no hesitation. Notable tracks include ‘If Only You’, ‘Sugar & Spice’, ‘Gold Rush’ (Neil Young nod perhaps?) & the quickest song on the album, ‘Walk You Down’. For the drunken, train riding non believers in your life – remind them that folk music is still alive and kicking. Buyers on iTunes will receive a bonus track, so there’s some added incentive to purchase online.

Heart Of My Own will see daylight on 1/26.

Visit Basia Bulat at her official site.

MP3: Basia Bulat – Gold Rush