COLTER WALL

Songs Of The plains THIRTY TIGERS/YOUNG MARY’S RECORD CO 7/10 Bare badlands-country from striking new talent

you can understand why Steve Earle cites Wall as the best young singersongwriter he’s seen for 20 years. The Canadian possesses the same rich, deep baritone as Marty Robbins or hoyt Axton, while his songs use only a modicum of fuss – picked acoustic guitar, pedal steel, harmonica – for optimum effect. guided by returning producer Dave Cobb, with Nashville veterans lloyd green and Mickey Raphael along too, this second album tips a stetson to the neglected Western heritage of his native country, from the stark beauty of “Saskatchewan In 1881” to a deliciously luminous cover of Wilf Carter’s “Calgary Round-up”.