What do you call Americana when it's not from America? This 'Bunny is looking forward to the John Henrys enlightening him.
The CD opens with "Little One". With more than a tip of the hat to Tom Petty, this is an upbeat beginning to this album. Further on, the John Henrys show that there is more than just Full Moon Fever in their record collection with the brassy, bluesy stomp of "Hit the Floor" adding a swagger to proceedings with a southern rock twang. The music gets darker and colder, appropriately enough, on "Cold Chill" with the stripped down arrangement of Rhodes piano and acoustic guitar building slowly to add to the contrast with the previous tracks.
The title track, "White Linen", brings up memories of the Band with plenty of mandolin, Hammond organ and honky-tonk piano but "Stars Align" is strangely throw-away and makes me wonder what would happen if the B52s were to become a country band. "Good Man", on the other hand, sounds like Gram Parsons - complete with pedal steel guitar - in introspection mode. Closing the CD is the "Patriot Song" which is largely acoustic and sounds a bit like a box ticking exercise - a "have we covered all the sub-genres?" kind of thing. Saying that, the quality of the "Patriot Song" isn't in any doubt. Overall, the production is crisp, giving each instrument its rightful place in the mix and allowing the clear vocals plenty of space.
Wearing their influences a little too high on their sleeve for my taste, you can't fault The John Henrys for their choices. Jangly folk/pop to the fore, you find yourself tapping your foot along involuntarily though it takes a couple of listens for the full effect of the songs to grab hold.
PS: I think it's Canadacana…