By David Kenney
Infusing bits of bluegrass, blues and folk-soul, Vancouver’s Blue Good Tanyas make the chirpiest music this side of the Appalachian mountains. On their debut album, Blue Horse, the female trio soak carefree songs in banjo, fiddle, acoustic guitar and skipping vocals.
Guitarist/vocalist Frazey Ford is a lower-toned, less strict-sounding Natalie Merchant with the down-home hokiness of Victoria Williams and Emmylou Harris. And with the simple-life songs, the Blue Good Tanyas have a authentic charm sorely missing in music. Like the swift smell of manure, Blue Horse has a fresh tang you can’t shake.