Bad ideas, VCRs, crumbling factories, terrible therapists, hairy dogs, wrinkled shirts, French fries, questionable tattoos...all are fair game for Nova Scotian funeral director-turned-songwriter Terra Spencer. And the songs are good ones, judging from the stack of awards her three albums have received, and from the caliber of her collaborators, which include David Francey, Ben Caplan, and Matt Andersen. Although her butterscotch voice, deft fingerstyle guitar, and gospel-charged piano make her a formidable musician, it's her onstage ease and crackling wit that make each show feel like a knee-to-knee conversation in a room of 5 or 500. “The real deal.” - Ron Sexsmith