Jason Collett 
Who: Jason Collett
What: Smart, acoustic pop-rock
Where: Toronto, ON
To Contact: (416) 992-4947, , www.maplemusic.com.

If my job is to shine a light on diamonds in the rough, then you'd better put on your shades because Jason Collett is set to sparkle. After a stint in the mid-'90s in the short-lived indie band Ursula (also featuring Andrew Cash), Collett recorded his debut solo CD, Chrome Reflection, a set of smart, oblique pop-rock wonders released under the band name Bird. Now he's recorded a follow-up called Bitter Beauty, to be released this fall under his own name -- and it's a fine, fine record. The songs are lean and focused without being sonically austere. The title track is a three-and-a-half-minute country-rock-ish epiphany centred on an irresistible chorus ("You're dreamin' with eyes wide open/Your heart has spoken/For the first time"). Blast this from your car on a sunny afternoon, and you will believe. "Runaway" chronicles the teenage quest for signs of life in 1980s suburbia, and "Revolution Style" is a churning, acoustic rocker, driven by Collett's percussive guitar thrashing and a vocal that's Donovan-cool, Westerberg-urgent and Blonde-On-Blonde-Dylan-sharp. His affinity to songwriting is such that even when he tried to stop doing it and "settle down and do some other things," he simply couldn't turn off the taps. "It drove me crazy. It's something I just have to do," Collett says. "There's no better high in the world for me than finishing a song." For our sake, I sincerely hope he never finds help for his addiction. Try some Bitter Beauty, and you'll be a Jason-junkie too.

Greg Wyard 
Who: Greg Wyard
What: Melodic pop-rock of the first degree
Where: Ottawa via England
To Contact: (416) 652-0676, , www.gregwyard.com.

If your goal is to graduate from the University of Melodic Pop-Rock, the professors you want to study with are obvious: The Beatles, of course, and other tune-scholars like Crowded House's Neil Finn. These are the melody-masters Greg Wyard has obviously been studying, and by the sound of things, he's been getting straight A's. Originally from southern England, Wyard moved to Ottawa as a teenager and has spent the past 20 years becoming a fixture on the local music scene. In 1995 he formed a band and released his debut CD, appropriately titled The First. Very favourable press and local radio airplay soon followed, with songs placing first and third respectively in Ottawa and Toronto radio station-sponsored songwriting competitions. Relocating to Toronto, Wyard released his second album, Something I Made Up, in the spring of 2001. Taking a page from Professor Neil Finn's text, Wyard excels in writing melodies that are extremely catchy, yet sound completely natural amidst some wonderfully wily song structures, as found on the lead-off track, "Leave It Like That" and "Ready To Come Back Home". For Wyard, melody is king. "It's always the first thing when I'm working on songs," he says. "Usually the words come last, and it's usually just something that sounds like it fits the melody." No doubt he's heard all the puns: "Wyard for sound", "A Wyard World", etc. But that's okay, because now he can call himself Greg Wyard, TS.d. -- Doctor of Tunesmithology.

Shane Simpson 
Who: Shane Simpson
What: Bluesy, jazzy acoustic guitar-driven rock
Where: Ottawa, ON
To Contact: Segment Multimedia, 1153 Gateway Road, Ottawa, ON K2C 2W8 (613) 726-9769, FAX (613) 726-9797, , www.shanesimpson.com

Described as "Fred Astaire on the fretboard," Ottawa's Shane Simpson has been tripping the strings fantastic for more than 15 years. Although a trained jazz-head, his penchant for stylistic exploration led to the recording of his new CD, Sketches, a rootsy, bluesy acoustic rock departure. The switch was initially driven more by hardware than anything else. "I changed guitars. I bought a beautiful acoustic guitar and started strumming songs out on the patio," explains Simpson. "And I thought if I'm such a smarty-pants jazz guy, I should be able to write some rock tunes. But it's very difficult to write convincing rock tunes. So it was a challenge, and the band grew out of that." The band is the Shane Simpson Band, which he formed in the summer of 1999 to follow his new muse. It consists of Lynne Hanson (guitar/vocals), Craig Dougherty (bass/vocals) and Chris Brookes (drums). Though he was humbled by the experience, Simpson nevertheless rose to the challenge. "Last Patio Song" jogs along on a rhythmic acoustic guitar pattern a la Dave Matthews, a searing electric lead guitar worthy of any hair band, and Simpson's smoky voice closing the deal. On "Bet On Me Long", a tortured vocal rides a bluesy-acoustic open tuning that'll have you foot-stomping along. And "Kid In The Puddle" supplies some nifty finger picking. With tunes this satisfying and musicianship this good, Shane Simpson's dance card should be filling up before too long.

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

| Contents | Showcase | Music On-Line | Studio Guide | Canadian Artists |