Canadian label Six Shooter have a varied roster and over the past couple of years have put out a handful of genuinely excellent records including recent albums from Jenn Grant & Justin Rutledge. The addition of ‘Victoria Day’ puts another feather in the cap of the label as it’s an album that is immediately likeable, but with lyrical depth and musical sophistication throughout.
‘Victoria Day’ has a feel similar to Eilen Jewell’s ‘Letters from Sinners and Strangers’ in that contemporary singer/songwriter material meets with retro influences – here McClelland brings her own subtle Canadian take on Americana and mixes it with arrangements and melodies that nod towards the 50s and even traditional Dixieland Jazz. Like Jewell before her, this is an inspired move as the album is packed full of hooks and rhythms that seem instantly comfortable and have the listener singing or nodding along within seconds – these really feel like songs that you’ve known for years!
Add in McClelland’s beautiful and versatile vocals that can be so disarming and you may feel that this is a demure album full of soft songs and no lyrical edge, but you couldn’t be further from the truth – there’s an edge and grit to the songs that is surprising at times. Whether it’s the lyrics or the characters in the songs that are often a little bloodied and rough around the edges or the stellar electric guitar work from husband and producer Luke Doucet, it’s a mixture that balances the album together perfectly.
The 12 songs that make up ‘Victoria Day’ are varied and run together as a perfect sequence of tracks; ‘Glenrio’ is a gritty tale full of a sense of place and characters, ‘Seasoned Lovers’ is a beautiful piece with Ron Sexsmith providing duet vocals, and the title track comes in two flavours, ‘April Showers’ and ‘May Flowers’, the latter of these is the most obvious 50s song and a fantastic arrangement of brass, backing vocals and guitar.
This is a genuinely excellent album, it’s not a disc that will pick up the coverage it deserves, but if you have an interested in North American singer/songwriters and liked the Eilen Jewell albums then this is essential.

Track listing
1 A Girl Can Dream
2 Glenrio
3 Segovia
4 God Loves Me
5 Victoria Day (April Showers)
6 Victoria Day (May Flowers)
7 I Blame You
8 Cry On My Shoulder
9 When The Lights Went off in Hogtown
10 Seasoned Lovers
11 Brake
12 Money Shot

£12.99