I was opening the mail at the station, looking for something new that would change my world (you’ve got to have a dream). One promo package from Toronto revealed an expressive, painted cover with a winter scene which really caught my eye. The bio mentioned busking, banjos and saxophones, and a genuine treat came when the disc hit the player. The Strip play “roots” music, although it’s a little unfair to pigeon-hole it as just that. Yes, there are tasty banjos in the mix but also the promised sultry saxophone and rhythms that would make many jazz drummers proud. The real champ here is the song-writing; catchy, melancholic lyrics sung with understated grace and doused with sweet harmony vocals. Stick to your Guns is content to draw you in slowly and gently. Halfway through, when the rollicking “The Russian Song” gives way to the soft, soothing “Wolves” I’m starting to realize just how good this band truly is. The next songs whip by and before I know it the album is over
leaving me with a single thought:  I need to see this band live! Pick up Stick to your Guns, you will not be disappointed.


Dick Altavista
  "Both Kinds of Music"
  Wednesdays 1:30pm-3:30pm EST
  CKCU  fm 93.1fm
      in Ottawa
  www.ckcufm.com
                                everywhere else on the  planet!