Geoff Gibbons 
Who: Geoff Gibbons
What: Folk-Rock-Pop.
Where: Vancouver, BC
Why: Quality songwriting and superb playing.
www.sparkrecords.com
To Contact: April Lebedoff Promotions, 379-1917 W. 4th Ave., Vancouver, BC V6J 1M7 (604) 737-4904, .

Formerly of the band Silverlode, Geoff Gibbons has been at this crazy music thing for 18 years. Striking out on his own in the '90s, he released a solo album and started garnering lots of favourable press clippings. Now with his second CD, Love Tattoos, Gibbons continues the forward momentum with this collection of wonderfully written, well-crafted and marvellously performed songs, blending folk, Celtic, country and rock sounds. Gibbons calls the album "a labour of love" because he recorded a lot of it in his own basement, as well as at various studios around Vancouver. He's joined by some exceptional musical friends, including Robbie Steininger (guitars, mandolin, banjo, percussion programming) and members of Bryan Adams' band, kd lang's band, Spirit of the West and Barney Bentall's band. But it's Gibbons' songwriting talent that is the disk's real strength. "I try to write about my perceptions of the struggle -- of the life struggle -- and hopefully that resonates with other folks and they can relate some of their life to it," he explains. With catchy songs like "Living" and "Ain't That Just Like Me", Love Tattoos will be indelibly etched onto listeners' hearts and minds.

Veda Hille 
Who: Veda Hille
What: "A collection of fairy tales for grown ups."
Where: Vancouver, BC
Why: Because creativity like this should be the norm, not the exception.
Website: www.vedahille.com
To Contact: Joanne Setterington, Pri-Motion Music, 67 Mowatt Avenue, #37, Toronto, ON M6K 3E3 (416) 531-9348, .

Did you hear that Jane Siberry and Brian Wilson had a daughter? Well, they didn't (at least not to my knowledge), but if they did she would probably sound something like Veda Hille. The Vancouver-based singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist's sixth album, You Do Not Live In This World Alone, seems like something such a progeny might create: a place where acoustic sounds exist at ease alongside subtle loops and other electronic manipulations, where string quartets breeze in to caress your soul, and where complicated yearnings lock arms with simple joys and fears. A classically-trained pianist, Hille also contributes tenor guitar, organ, accordion, and banjo to the CD. Her pliant voice is perfectly suited for her sometimes fanciful, sometimes candid lyrics. "I try to remind people to be awake, and hopefully be interested in being awake, because that's what I want music to do for me," say Hille. These songs have an almost visual quality, perhaps a reflection of her art school experience studying film and sculpture. She paints a compelling mosaic of sound that wouldn't be out of place at a Group of Seven exhibit. And if that's about as Canadian as it gets, perhaps it's because various parts of the album were recorded in Quebec City, Vancouver, Toronto, Burnaby and Bowen Island. So do yourself a favour, wake up to Veda Hille, and enjoy one of the most creative musical artists this country has to offer.

Eva Gold 
Who: Eva Gold
What: Sassy rock with its roots showing.
Where: Regina, SK
Why: Casey Stone's singing.
To Contact: Lazy H Music, PO Box 630, Herbert, SK S0H 2A0 (306) 784-3359, .

Who says you have to be in one of the country's music industry Mecca's to make a great record? Eva Gold is living proof that it ain't necessarily so. Traction, the band's second CD, was recorded in the small town of Pense, SK, with the Regina-based band benefiting from the presence of a very cool recording studio there. The band revolves around the knock-out vocals of Casey Stone and the accomplished guitar skills of Brent Taylor, with Brett Schinbein on bass and Rob Green on drums providing a solid rhythm section. Stone is an alluring vocal presence -- alternately playing the country coquette a la Tanya Tucker or the sexy power rock goddess of the likes of Alannah Myles or the Headpins' Darby Mills. "We're always trying to have some sort of edge in our music," says Stone. "Even if we're doing a ballad, we want it to have lots of dynamics and lots of feel to it." With Stone writing the lyrics and all band members contributing to the music, Traction builds upon a roots rock core, adding some outright "house-shakers" and even a few straight-up, razor-edged rockers. So if you like a little rock in your country, and a little country in your rock, you'll hit the mother lode with Eva Gold.

Credit: Jim Kelly is a Toronto-based freelance writer.

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