Jennifer Castle: Castlemusic

Flemish Eye

GRID RATING: 7/10

Even if you’ve never set foot in the Tranzac Club, the Toronto hotbed for artful interpretations of traditional genres where Jennifer Castle is a regular performer, there’s still a good chance you’ve heard her voice.

The local singer-songwriter has lent her pipes to high-profile records by The Constantines and Fucked Up, but her presence is far more genteel on her solo albums of hazy folk.

At her best, Castle conjures visions of a countrified Stevie Nicks, with earthy lyrics stretching out over dusty landscapes of sound. And her backing players—borrowed from local alt-country heroes One Hundred Dollars—add delicate touches of organ and pedal steel to elevate Castlemusic to pure folkie bliss.

If there’s a knock on the album, it’s that the ultra-laidback pacing is occasionally sluggish, but that’s simply the price you pay for working on a daydream.

Playlist picks: “Neverride,” “Way of the Crow,” “Poor As Him”

Jennifer Castle plays the Horseshoe (370 Queen St. W.) on May 19.