Nancy Cassidy's "Runaway Train"

One of the most pleasant surprises I had during the 2005 Folk Alliance in Montreal was stumbling over Nancy Cassidy in a side passage, picking her guitar and singing her own songs to the echoes. She was friendly, unaffected, what my folks would have called "good people".

So now it is four and a half years later, and Nancy, whose forte is children's music (she has earned multi-platinum in that genre) has released a decidedly grown-up Americana cd, "Runaway Train".

The songs are all original, as is the viewpoint and voice. A side note here about Nancy's voice. You really must hear it, it is like warm honey on homemade bread. When brought together with her own tunes, strong session work from a cast of serious talent, and flawless production, this cd gives a whole new meaning to Easy Listening.

I'm not usually one for smooth, soft music, because so often it feels artificial to me. These songs are all genuine, a welcome side trip from formula twang that I very much enjoyed all the way through. Follow the links, listen for yourself.

I'm glad I gave it a few listens. I'll certainly listen to it some more, and I'm looking forward to what Nancy comes up with next.