Driver

By the time Driver appeared in 1994, Canadian troubadour Ferron already had a catalog full of fine albums behind her, but this was the one that began to bring her talents to a wider audience. Between the warm, bittersweet glow of the production and the magnetic quality of Ferron's throaty quaver, it's entirely possible to be entranced by Driver for some time before even delving into the lyrics. But once you do, a whole other world of sensuous-but-subtle song-poetry opens up. Ferron nails deep emotional truths with nearly every turn of phrase without showing off her (considerable) literary skills, preferring to keep her language as simple as possible. Apart from the uptempo "Love Loves Me," the entire album weaves a languid, dreamlike spell, blending folk and jazz influences in a way that ought to appeal to admirers of Joni Mitchell. Ferron offers a tongue-in-cheek nod to that aesthetic connection to her fellow Canuck when she leads off "Maya" by singing, "Last night I dreamed Joni Mitchell cut her hair." But first and foremost, Driver is pure Ferron from top to bottom.