12/31/2023 0 Comments Tower of power singersThey became college radio staples thanks to their cover of Lou Reed’s “Sweet Jane,” but are beloved as an enduring cult act for their moody, introspective songwriting.ġ,2,3,4… name a better-known Canadian female singer who’s had one of the most unlikely success stories in popular music today? Before she was dominating the pop charts and performing on Sesame Street, the Canadian singer-songwriter and guitarist, Leslie Feist, was performing with her then-roommate and electro-pop provocateur, Peaches. When Cowboy Junkies first arrived on the Toronto music scene in the mid-80s, people struggled to classify their genre-fluid blend of country, blues, folk, indie rock, but following their 1986 breakthrough The Trinity Session, they helped to define the emerging Americana genre. Hailing from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Plaskett has a prolific output that spans more than two decades and includes countless studio releases both with his 90s hard-rock band Thrush Hermit, his solo recordings, and with his band, the Joel Plaskett Emergency. Nonetheless, he’s one of the best Canadian musicians. This multiple JUNO award-winning singer-songwriter is the clear heir apparent to The Tragically Hip, both in terms of writing energetic folk-rock with lyrical homage to Canada and for his relative obscurity outside of the country. But over the course of 14 studio albums, the British Columbia native threw some curveballs as well, pushing the boundaries and pop-jazz and creating new songbook standards. ![]() With her dark, soulful voice and ambitious arrangements, Krall was hailed as a throwback to the golden era of jazz vocalists. As one of the most acclaimed and successful jazz performers today, Diana Krall has made a career honoring the greats (Cole Porter, Peggy Lee, Nat King Cole) while ever-expanding the definition of the American Songbook. Is Diana Krall the best Candian jazz musician? She certainly ranks up there in the jazz vocalist category. Drew would go on help start the Arts & Crafts label as a vehicle for Broken Social Scene releases and all of BBS’s affiliated acts – effectively shaping the sound of Toronto from 2003 ‘til today. The super-group would serve as the springboard for many famous alumni who started their own bands. Since forming in 1999 with core members Kevin Drew and Brendan Canning, the duo recruited the best of Toronto’s indie scene to perform on their ambient record and a burgeoning super-group was born that included drummer Justin Peroff, Charles Spearin, violinist Jessica Moss, Bill Priddle, Evan Cranley and Amy Millan from The Stars, Jason Collette and most famously Metric’s Emily Haines and Leslie Feist. We’d be remiss if we didn’t mention the hugely influential Canadian alt-rock collective, Broken Social Scene. We’re cheating a bit here, as this group contains many of the best Canadian musicians. ![]() Along with a string of hit singles “Treat You Better,” “Mercy,” “There’s Nothing Holdin’ Me Back” and most recently “If I Can’t Have You,” Mendes is also very much an album artist, showing his full songwriting abilities on deep cuts like “Hold On” can attest.Ĭlick to load video 22: Broken Social Scene Over the course of three albums, Mendes set himself apart with his passionate vocals and acoustic guitar mastery, imbuing the sometimes-staid model of pop-rock with tension and longing. Like Justin Bieber, Mendes parlayed his internet stardom (Vine in his case) to full-fledged pop stardom. While you’re reading our list of the best Canadian musicians, listen to our Canada Day playlist here. To celebrate Canada Day, we’ve assembled a list of the country’s greatest musicians that cross all genres, eras, and provinces (excluding the many talented French-Canadian artists and Glenn Gould, Lenny Breau, and Oscar Petersen (they’re above lists)). ![]() From bonafide legends ( Neil Young and Joni Mitchell) to 80s hit machines ( Bryan Adams and Corey Hart) to 00’s chart-toppers ( The Weeknd and Grimes) Canada boasts some serious homegrown talent that they’re nice enough to share with the rest of the world. The sheer volume of notable acts that were left off the list is impressive enough. For a relatively small country (roughly 36 million), Canada continues to punch above its weight when it comes to musical contribution.
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