I love it when I get something in the mail that absolutely takes my breath away and makes me wonder how the hell I’ve been missing out on this for so long. Last year when I heard Christina Martin for the first time, it was just like that. Previously, Catherine MacLellan and a bunch of others had that distinction.

This year, a couple of other lovely ladies are trying to steal my heart. True North Records is slowly resurrecting itself from the dead and slipping out some exciting new stuff, including a band called Madison Violet. They used to be called Madviolet, and if memory serves me correctly, they were pop tart kind of fluff. Well, either I’m really wrong about that, or they’ve grown up a lot. Check out their new album “No Fool for Trying,” or tune in to Tell the Band to Go Home to hear what they sound like. They’re kind of a rootsier version of Dala, or Kasey Chambers x 2. They have the pop hooks (and the hot looks), but this is a pretty country-oriented affair. It’s pretty damned impressive, and I know this band has a bright future with stuff like this. Check them out SOON.