• Band / Artist : Madviolet – mySpace
• Genre : Acoustic / Folk / Pop
• Sample Track Download : Skylight
• Buy CD : CD Baby – Maple Music
• Buy Digital Download : iTunes
• Rating : 8 out of 10

What a great way to open 2007, albeit with an album, I’ve been sitting on for a couple of months. A folksy, sometimes country inspired album, this also has some great pop qualities that really make the album a pleasure to listen to. Madviolet is Canadian duo, Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac. With Caravan, their fourth LP, it’s obvious that there is a great chemistry between them and a great ability to tell a story through their music. Comparisons are pretty subjective, but they can at least help, when trying to evaluate new artists. The artist/band that most comes to mind, is the 90’s band Wilson Phillips, especially their more pop side. Madviolet however embrace this sound, but add their own unique flavor, resulting in an album, that’s a bit pop, a bit folk and a tad country. Being a Canadian band, there are those influences that shine through, but they are ever so subtle.

This 10 track album opens with “Way Past the Hour”, which introduces their sound nicely, but it’s “Skylight” for me, where the real beginning of the album occurs. I know this happens a lot with some of the albums I review, but I really like to see a really strong song open an album. It doesn’t have to be fast or loud, just have that little something special that immediately draws your attention. “Prayed” is one of the lighter tracks, which has a wonderfully soothing feel to it. “I’m Your Lady” is a track obviously influenced by country and while this is not me favorite genres of music, this track works well. One of the weakest tracks for me is “Thieven Love”, which is just one of those tracks that doesn’t seem to go anywhere. It also has a real annoying chorus.

Favorite tracks on the album would have to be “Skylight”, “Sore Heart” which again has a country feel, but doesn’t wallow in it and “Never Saw the Ending” which has a real toe tapping and a few other things, vibe to it.

Conclusion : A wonderful album, which is nicely balance, managing to fuse lots of different influences and styles. A special word goes to the vocals, which have a wonderfully pure quality to them.