Chinatown

1	It's Not Happening 2:41
2	Waiting Around to Die 5:13
3	Junkie Song 3:47
4	Ship Out on the Sea 4:13
5	Dogsong 2 5:08
6	Rowdy Blues 3:32
7	Reuben 4:23
8	House of the Rising Sun 3:49
9	In Spite of All the Damage 3:59
10	Lonesome Blues 4:17
11	In My Time of Dying 3:43
12	I Wish My Baby Was Born 3:50
13	Horses 4:01
14	Midnight Moonlight 3:41

Barnes & Noble

Embracing the Carter Family's Appalachian world of dread and Nick Drake's tragic mysticism, Vancouver's Be Good Tanyas have conjured a set of severe, captivating ruminations on life, love, and loss by way of Chinatown. The satisfying follow-up to their promising 2001 debut, Blue Horse, the primarily acoustic folk album achieves its drama from its exquisite, guitar-based arrangements: the gut-string solos and the forlorn harmonica that rise up out of the mix in the dark, desperate "Waiting to Die," the sly touches of country in the fiddle solo on "Reuben," and the discreet banjo licks of "Rowdy Blues." Chinatown is not, however, a full-on folk album; it's also informed by blues and even jazz -- check the haunting Miles-like trumpet floating through "Junkie Song," a chilling meditation about Vancouver's burgeoning heroin scene. One of the singers, Frazey Ford, sounds a bit like the young Joni Mitchell, with a soft, languid voice and idiosyncratic phrasing; Trish Klein shows off an upper register with a keening tone and rich vibrato not unlike the young Dolly Parton's; and Samantha Parton (no relation) sings with the breathy tenderness of the aforementioned Drake. There's a lot of life unspooling in these songs, not all of it pretty but all of it honest and honestly rendered. What's more, in the heartbreaking harmonies and winsome instrumental lines of "Dogsong 2," the Be Good Tanyas achieve a transcendent calm as they lament the death of a beloved pet. You have to go back to the Byrds' "Old Blue" or Elvis's take on Red Foley's "Old Shep" to find a dog song rendered with such deep affection and genuine emotion. That's some deep stuff. David McGee

All Music Guide

The homespun, slightly quirky approach that guided the Be Good Tanyas on Blue Horse permeates their enigmatically titled sophomore release too. If anything, these performances beckon the listener even more into the material, as a fiery hearth might draw strangers together on a cold night. The singing is raggedy and breathy, the instruments gently strummed or stroked; like whispered intimacies, these elements cast a conversational spell. When something extra is added, it comes in minimal doses -- a sprinkle of barely audible electric guitar and unobtrusive strings enhance, rather than delete, the acoustic ambience on "Dogsong 2," while two cameos by Olu Dara stir memories of Joni Mitchell's early tapestries of folk and jazz. No single tracks stand out, but that may be intentional; by sustaining its blurry, wistful mood with neither gimmick nor interruption, Chinatown feels like an evening well spent with old friends. Robert Doerschuk

fRoots

You rarely hear albums as naturally intimate as this. Give it the chance and it will surely haunt you for the rest of the year