There’s no place for purist snobbery or notions of “real country” in this proudly diverse selection of Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Award’s best country CD. Pop crossovers and prairie ballads stand next to bottom-of-the-bottle acoustic gems and a former Nashville superstar, representing a thrilling cross-section of the genre’s finest.
Here's your chance to sample the wares before the APCMAs are handed out Nov. 1 and 2 in Winnipeg.
Jerry Sereda: Turn the Country On
This Winnipeg-based singer-songwriter makes Stetson-friendly country that would be equally at home in Nashville, rubbing shoulders with the other superstars.
This is “Ain’t Learned Nothing Yet.”
Shy-Anne: Interwoven Roots
A country-pop crossover singer-songwriter, Shy-Anne has been singing since she was a toddler and performing onstage since she was nine years old. She’s also a double APCMA Award winner.
This is the APCMA-nominated single, “The Glue.”
Tracy Bone: Woman of Red
A multiple APCMA Award-winning singer-songwriter who makes country-pop, exploring lighthearted themes and serious subjects with equal aplomb.
Here's Bone's live performance from the Aboriginal Music Program Camp in 2008:
Ron Loutit: Where I Come From
This largely unknown singer-songwriter has been writing and performing music for more than 30 years, and deserves a bigger audience. He only has two albums to his credit so far, but they’re filled with simple, honest, well crafted tunes about the bottle, home and heartbreak.
This is Loutit's “My Dollar Ain’t a Dime.”
Terri Clark: Roots and Wings
Among the most recognizable names in Canadian country music, Clark was a global superstar who eschewed all the trappings of fame to come back home.
This is Clark's “Smile.”
Related:
APCMAs 2012: who sings the heartbreaking blues the best?