Joel Plaskett
Album: The Park Avenue Sobriety Test
Label: Pheromone
Tracks: 13
Website: http://joelplaskett.com

Joel Plaskett returns with one of the most diverse and fan-pleasing albums of his career, he offers up a wide mix of styles on Joel Plaskett and the Park Avenue Sobriety Test, the title track being a swipe at the forces that can make life tough.

Lunenburg, Nova Scotia is where Joel Plaskett grew up and the festival itself, of which his father was a founder, and the music that resonated from it had an indelible influence on him.

His new album, Joel Plaskett & The Park Avenue Sobriety Test, is very close to the live performances the singer/songwriter is lauded for. He has grown in stature from regional guitar slinging troubadour to a nationally acclaimed icon, comfortable singing in many different genres. The album was recorded at award winning Scotland Yard the studio he opened in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, and the sounds contained within reach back into his past.

Stand outs like track two ' On A Dime ' has almost a Celtic, rootsy feel to it which is no surprise with the aforementioned influences considered, and with subliminal effect invites one to sing along with the chorus. Many references to whisky and sweetly placed guitar solo's and riffs make tracks like ' Alright / OK ' jump out from the music player. ' Broke ' is one of the tracks for me that highlight Plaskett's inate ability to tell a story within a song with a hooky melody thrown in.

If you want to get to know Joel Plaskett, this is the album for you, giving a nod to the PAST, he is constantly moving forward into the future without holding back on what he wants to say about where he came from