“Go On”
from the album Heart of My Own
2010
iTunes
This 25-year-old Canadian singer-songwriter has one of those powerful, lilting, “Who is that?” voices that immediately grabs your attention both with its technique and its unbridled emotion. Her new album, Heart of My Own, is a worthy follow-up to her 2007 debut, Oh, My Darling, showcasing both that amazing voice and her open-hearted songwriting.
Although Bulat’s music falls in the folk-pop genre, this is no spare, snoozy album. She favors plenty of instrumentation in her arrangements (piano, fiddle, horns) and an invigorating pace that heralds a strong Celtic influence. The opening track “Go On” is propelled by a rat-a-tat martial drum beat, while “Gold Rush” marches along on a stormy beat and gorgeous fiddle playing. Much of Heart of My Own was reportedly written while Bulat was out touring, and you can feel the rumble of the road under these songs.
When the pace does slow down, as on the lovely “I’m Forgetting Everyone,” Bulat excels at building a hushed and intimate space in her songs. The momentum within (and behind) Bulat’s songs just seems to keep building and building.