Canadian singer/songwriter Paula Tozer calls bluegrass music her muse. In her debut effort ‘Blue Muse’ the blue sometimes feels very sad and slower than a slow dance. Still, she has bright spots and her voice especially shines in this incredible first at bat.
“Pieces” has endless beauty. Tozer’s stunning voice is heartfelt. The lyrics have a sense of strength and humility. If you look at Tozer’s ReverbNation page, you’ll notice that artists that she sounds like lists Shania Twain, Emmylou Harris and Olivia Newton John. These comparisons are spot on – especially in “Pieces.” I found her voice easy to embrace and silky smooth as Olivia Newton John’s delivery.
Truly, “Pieces” bleeds with passion and showcases Tozer’s command of the bluegrass genre.
“Swept Away” feels like the main character is a fiddle. Tozer’s voice is gorgeous, but I felt like she took a backseat to the fiddle here. This track has more soul to it. The harmony ‘sweeps’ in at the right time, just as the music bed streams alongside a nicely-paced flow. This is a slow dance song!
“Wintersleep” immediately brought to mind pathways to Jon Bon Jovi’s Young Guns II soundtrack. The rustic fiddle; the neck of the guitar cracking. This song has more percussion than “Pieces” and “Swept Away” and rocks harder. Still, Tozer commands the song and takes her listeners willingly along the trail.
“A Name In The Sand” has a veil of sadness surrounding its beauty. The vocals are so clear and so aptly matched with the lyrics. In “The Fiddle Player’s Love” I felt like the fiddle was too much of a distraction. As a listener I wanted the stringed instrument to be a companion piece to Tozer’s vocals. Instead, I felt like the result didn’t meet expectations. I wanted to hear the ‘dance’ between Tozer and the instrument’s love story. What I got was mostly a fickle fiddle – wanting too much attention.
The layer of fun and happiness in “Pick Me Up” is palpable. This track stood out for me! Just a fun song, albeit, at this point I was getting over the explosion of fiddle thrown all over this album. I’ll get past it. For now.
“Pink” is another ballad (warm and fuzzy). “My Bow” is another heavier track where the music bed gets a bit gruffy. I like how Tozer shows her range here. And the last track “Angel Dance” has a very modern country pop sound. The lyrics are a bit trite, but the maturity and warmth in Tozer’s voice overshadows. This is a lovely song to share with the whole family.
Overall, Paula Tozer won me over. Granted, I’m still bummed about too much fiddle, but it’s too hard to ignore her talent. She’s really got a voice that mends the day’s negatives. She’s a calming force. Fans of other Canadian artists like Emmylou Harris, Shania Twain and even Neil Young will find something they like in this collection.
‘Blue Muse’ garners a solid A rating.
