New Reviews: August 17, 1998

When many people think of a cappella, the vocal style arranged only around harmony with no accompanying instrumentation (except for percussion, sometimes), they think "Barbershop Quartet." And in Canada, one also thinks of The Nylons, a band that dominated the airwaves in the 1980's. Northern Harmony is a Canadian a cappella "battle of the bands" competition that demonstrates how the style now encompasses a little bit of everything, from pop, to jazz, to World Beat. Northern Harmony: A Canadian A Cappella Celebration was recorded at the very first competition held in 1997 in Edmonton, Alberta, and features the winners as well as other competitors. Album highlights include first place winners The Heebee-Jeebees perform a rousing "Maritime Folk Song," while third place band Asani do their rendition of Ulali's "Mahk Jchi." Check out the Web site to find out about the upcoming Northern Harmony II to beheld this October in Sherwood Park, ALberta.

Michelle Glover may come from the small town of Fort McMurray, Alberta, but she has a voice that sounds like it has been around the world. Where's The Fire? is Glover's debut CD, and features her songwriting in addition to energetic and emotional delivery. Her style is definitely country, but it steers away from the over-produced, commericial clap-trap polluting radio. Glover has a fresh approach and is not afriad to take some risks with her music.