Colter Wall – Colter Wall (Young Mary’s Record Co.)

It’ll only take 15 seconds into “Thirteen Silver Dollars,” the opening track from Colter Wall’s new release, to have most folks wondering where in the States this greying, grizzled codger with the rusty baritone voice, talk/sung delivery and stripped-down folk approach has been hiding … and how deep is his catalog.(American Songwriter)

Current Swell – When to Talk and When to Listen (Nettwerk)

Already quite a big thing in Canada, Current Swell decamped to Nashville to record part of this latest album, with the remainder being finished at home in Vancouver. It’s their sixth full-length release, coming twelve years after their debut So I Say; these guys are clearly in it for the long haul. The four-piece band revolves around their songwriting hub of Scott Stanton and Dave Lang.(American UK)

Eleanor McCain – True North: The Canadian Songbook (Retriever Records)

Canadian songstress Eleanor McCain is set to release her sixth album this month. True North: The Canadian Songbook is a collection of the most cherished songs written, composed and performed by the most influential artists of this country and beautifully interpreted by McCain. The album spans decades creating a playlist that will not only be a commemorative keepsake for Canada’s 150th Anniversary, but will also serve as a great reminder of how rich and talented our country truly is. For those of us who grew up in Canada in particular, many songs will remind us of our grandparents and parents. From Gordon Lightfoot to Great Big Sea and of course Leonard Cohen, McCain brings together a well-thought out songbook of 32 titles that will bring a true sense of pride.(The Toronto Guardian)

Hermitess – Hermitess

Jennifer Crighton retreated to a cabin in northern Michigan in the dead of winter to write an album of appropriately desolation-evoking, nature-inspired songs for her debut as Hermitess. Akin to the austere spookiness of Chelsea Wolfe or the more subdued moments of Myrkur, Crighton creates her haunted, distant atmospheres by blending her voice with her harp, sometimes cloaked in waves of distortion, as on “Hush,” or letting her instrument ring out, as she does alongside the high-pitched choral vocals of “Blood Moon.”(AllMusic) +stream

Scott Helman – Hotel de Ville (Warner)

Finding his musical influences in album-focused artists like Arcade Fire, Bruce Springsteen, Neil Young, The Cure, Bon Iver and Paul Simon, Canadian singer-songwriter Scott Helman returns May 12, 2017 with his debut full-length album, Hôtel de Ville. Recorded in Toronto at Revolution Recording and produced by Tawgs Salter (Lights, Walk Off The Earth, USS), the album’s first official single is the irresistible pop alternative track “Kinda Complicated” which applies breezy, catchy songwriting and winking-lyricism to either a failed relationship or his own daily struggle with ADHD.(The Music Express)

The Road Hammers – The Squeeze (Open Road Recordings/Universal)

Today(Friday May 12th,2017)one of Canada’s biggest country groups, Juno & multi CCMA award winners “The Road Hammers” are releasing their 4th album. Rudy Blair Entertainment Media Chats with lead singer “Jason McCoy” about the new LP..”The Squeeze”. theroadhammers.com/(Ruby’s Reviews)

The Velveteins – Slow Wave (Fierce Panda Canada)

Slow Wave, the debut full-length from Edmonton-based the Velveteins, is a sunny soundtrack to mark the beginning of a hot and dry Prairie summer. Taking cues from ’60s pop-rock and psych-garage, the trio have zeroed in on a grittier sound than on their previous two EPs.(Exclaim!)

Zeynep Ozbilen – Zest (Really Records)

Fearless, original, and politically-charged, the widely acclaimed “Jazz songstress” Zeynep Ozbilen is dropping jaws with Zest, her newest album. Backed by an eight-piece band, a string quartet, and guest musicians, Ozbilen leaves no stone unturned when it comes to the quality of the album’s instrumentals: after her musical career kicking off in Istanbul at the age of twelve, Ozbilen combines her background of classical singing, her advocacy for multiculturalism and women’s rights, and her reworking of traditional Turkish songs to weave a tapestry of both musical and political mastery.(Canadian Beats)