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Steve Almaas and Ali Smith

You Showed Me

(Parasol; US: 17 Oct 2006; UK: Available as import)

This duo comes from the same area as Sarah Guthrie and Johnny Irion in terms of sound, particularly on the alt.country gem of a title track. The harmonies are sweet and the chorus sweeter, resulting in a strong opening. Meanwhile, Smith softens the album up slightly with the pop, adult-tinged “Culebra”, which sounds like an Americanized Beautiful South. But things get off on the wrong track with the roots-meets-psychedelica “Absolutely Free” that might be a Sheryl Crow b-side at best. Fortunately, they redeem themselves with the pretty, tender and thoughtful “What No Angel Knows” and the equally inviting, slow-dance feel fuelling the haunting “The Lonely Sea”. Fans of Blue Rodeo or the Jayhawks would seek comfort in the chugging “#7”, “Ed’s Tower To The Top”, and the warm “I Don’t Like to Be Alone”, which sounds like an early Everly Brothers cover.

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Originally from Cape Breton, MacNeil is currently writing for the Toronto Sun as well as other publications, including All Music Guide, Billboard.com, NME.com, Country Standard Time, Skope Magazine, Chart Magazine, Glide, Ft. Myers Magazine and Celtic Heritage. A graduate of the University of King's College, MacNeil currently resides in Toronto. He has interviewed hundreds of acts ranging from Metallica and AC/DC to Daniel Lanois and Smokey Robinson. MacNeil (modestly referred to as King J to friends), a diehard Philadelphia Flyers fan, has seen the Rolling Stones in a club setting, thereby knowing he will rest in peace at some point down the road. Oh, and he writes for PopMatters.com.


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