Drawing comparisons to Gillian Welch and Lucinda Williams for their roots-observant country-folk-pop, the Canadian duo Madison Violet easily belong among the alt-country elite with the country turn of their third album, 2009’s No Fool for Trying. Brenley MacEachern and Lisa MacIsaac execute harmonies that draw immediate attention and pathos with songwriting that evokes the smart, earthy truths of classic folk with instrumentation — banjo, fiddle, pedal steel — that further cements them in the tradition. Whether it’s the sweet weep of “The Ransom” where the money always comes up short or the aching country-western of “Crying” where amongst the sorrows they decree “it’s not a bad world,” Madison Violet can get away with saying just about anything with their expert talents. Those talents run deep as closer listens to “No Fool for Trying,” “Small of My Heart,” “Baby In the Black & White,” and “Hallways of the Sage” exhibit writers who know how to convey emotion with a musical note or a twist of phrase.