Lik My Trakter

Album Review

Although the Waltons' major-label debut is produced by Jane Siberry's longtime creative foil, John Switzer, don't expect to find any evidence of Siberry's arty folk-rock here. This Saskatchewan trio is a much more low-key affair, and Lik My Trakter (that first word is apparently meant to be pronounced "like," not "lick") is a simple, largely acoustic folk-pop record with some minor alternative rock leanings, not unlike a less twangy version of their fellow western Canadians Blue Rodeo. Singer/songwriter Jason Plumb has a fine line in minor-key ballads, but a dozen politely acoustic songs in a row with subtle shadings of lap steel and organ leave the listener itching for something with a little more sonic variety. These songs are lovely taken one at a time, and Plumb's skills as a lyricist are more obvious (he has a knack for telling details and an almost novelistic sense of setting and atmosphere) when they are listened to individually, but the simplistic arrangements become a little tiring over the course of 45 minutes.