herohill / music nova scotia artist of the month:: Christina Martin

With fall taken a stranglehold on the province, it's pretty fitting that the last two artists have been talented rootsy females that are tailor made for the season change. While Ruth Minnikin has made a name for herself locally and across the pond, Christina Martin still toils in relative obscurity.

As someone hoping to promote the talent trapped here on the East Coast, that frustrates me to no end. Ms. Martin is one of my favorite singers, but much like the honey voiced Rose Cousins, she doesn't seem to get nearly enough attention in these parts. Case in point, after playing in LA for film execs, she came home to unleash new tunes and a new band lineup, and Tribeca was fairly dead.

Missing that show my friends was a real shame, as Martin and her band showed a more muscular, spacey sound and played a few new tunes. Considering how strong Two Hearts is (review), the fact I left the bar excited about her as of yet unscheduled new record spoke volumes.

Luckily, she was nice enough to share some demos - recorded by Dale Murray in his basement - and some info about what to expect:

"There was no question in my mind, I needed to record this next project with Dale Murray (Producer/Engineer). We are looking to make an album with more of a folk-rock/edge, a bit of angst, a lot of tension/release... but its hard to say exactly how sonically things will turn out. We are just excited to get started in and the focus will be creating something we are proud of that people can connect to."

So do yourself a favor and grab these tracks, her old record and go see this talent when she plays next. You won't be disappointed, of that I guarantee.

MP3:: Christina Martin - I Can Too (acoustic)

MP3:: Christina Martin - They Say

MP3:: Christina Martin - Daisy (demo)
MYSPACE:: http://www.myspace.com/cpmartin
WEB:: http://www.christinamartin.net/

Labels: Christina Martin, MNS artist of the month, Music, Nova Scotia