Familiar faces on the Montreal jazz scene, singer Kathryn Samman and guitarist Fran\u00e7ois Jalbert form Little Misty, a project mixing progressive folk and bluegrass. The duo is surrounded by Simon Pag\u00e9 (Bernard Adamus) on bass, Kieran Piole on banjo and violin, J\u00e9r\u00f4me Beaulieu on piano and Marc Nelson on drums. Their first album, produced by Joe Grass (Patrick Watson), creates a pleasantly hushed, intimate and enveloping atmosphere.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A certain maternal benevolence hovers throughout the recording thanks to Kathryn’s lyrics, which can be interpreted as tales told by a mother to her child. One gets lost in an imaginary enchanted forest with \u201cJimmy Boy\u201d (“A fairy carrousel in the night \/ Dancing all together \/ Birds in suits and ties”). With \u201cThe Diner\u201d, the tale darkens, and briefly describes the story of a father desperately seeking to see his son.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The band doesn’t always dare to venture into the meanderings of prog rock, as on the track \u201cThe Path\u201d, which is unfortunately a bit timid. The nine tracks are carefully arranged and never fall into the clich\u00e9 of the bucolic bluegrass song, notably thanks to Kathryn’s bewitching jazzy voice. This is a promising debut album for the duo, who might just bring progressive folk back into fashion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n