Blue Bones

iTunes Review

In the tradition of Ian and Sylvia, singer/songwriter Kim Beggs fashions sturdy yet tenderhearted tunes that capture the hardscrabble side of Western Canada. Drawing upon her years in the Yukon as well as wanderings southward, she fills Blue Bones with stories of bittersweet romance and fleeting joy. Beggs’ voice combines a waif-like sweetness with a sense of grown-up wisdom. Songs like “Honey and Crumbs,” “Maiden Heart” and “Summertime Lonesome Blues” are at once wry and poignant, acknowledging heartache with a crooked smile. Her depictions of troubled souls in “Firewaterbones” and “Mama’s Dress” are particularly moving. Producer Steve Dawson gives the album a homey country-folk feel by utilizing vintage string and keyboard instruments, contributing his own tangy licks on guitar, lap steel and pump organ. Covers of such tunes as Dylan’s “I’ll Be Your Baby Tonight” and the honky-tonk standard “Just Someone I Used to Know” (a duet with Gurf Morlix) compliment Beggs’ originals. Blue Bones is engaging and authentic, deserving of notice far beyond the Great White North.