Meet The 2021 East Coast Music Awards Country Nominees

Every year, the East Coast Music Awards strives to develop, advance, and celebrate East Coast Canadian Music. From Stompin’ Tom Conners to George Canyon, the achievements of country music acts within the East Coast scene should not be overlooked. This year’s collection of nominees for the 2021 Country Recording of the Year Award reflects the rich history and traditions of the East Coast’s country music landscape. From acts that feature a blend of modern pop, an experimental twist, and a darker edge, this year’s roster of nominees each showcase a different facet of the country genre.

Brooklyn Blackmore – Get A Little Crazy

Brooklyn Blackmore’s Get A Little Crazy is a hybrid of country and pop influences, citing her inspirations as Stevie Nicks and Miley Cyrus. Her single “Chasing the Sunset'' exhibits her strong vocals front and centre, and is supported by a poppy beat and light country twang that is a common characteristic of most of her work on the EP. The album title comes from the party track “Flower Child'' which serves as a fun anthem which would make for an ideal shotgun passenger on a long summer drive. While Blackmore’s voice has an unmistakably festive quality, she invites her listeners to join her on the challenging journey of letting go on the standout track “Quit You.” This EP gives listeners a strong sense of the kind of fun and high-spirited energy Blackmore puts into her work, and if one thing is for certain: we haven’t heard the last from this Nova Scotian singer-songwriter.

While a strong contender for the 2021 Country Recording of the Year Award, Blackmore has also won the 2016 Global Country Star Search, as well as the 2017 Female Vocalist of the Year and Female Entertainer of the Year at the North American Country Music Association International.

Laurie LeBlanc – When It’s Right It’s Right

Matters of the heart are a recurring theme throughout Laurie Leblanc’s When It’s Right It’s Right, but he navigates the subject in a variety of different ways. Title track “When It’s Right It’s Right” gives the listener a clear sense of the infectious melodies to come in the album, followed soon after by the Jimmy Buffett-esque “Where Gone Girls Go.” The track “Belle of the Ball'' offers a sense of the liveliness of romantic mischief at a kitchen party. Leblanc reveals his range as well as his vulnerability in “I’ve Never Known” by slowing the tempo to create a softer landscape, which, in the process, paints the portrait of someone slowly falling in love for the first time. “All In” makes clever use of poker imagery to convey the sense of gambling when it comes entering a relationship, and how it feels when you “lose the jackpot.” Catchy choruses and traditional country roots come together in this album by this New Brunswick artist. To put it bluntly, Laurie Leblanc’s music makes you want to dance.

This album marks ten years since LeBlanc’s debut album La Pitoune was released, and hopes to commemorate the occasion by claiming the 2021 Country Recording ECMA.

Lawrence Maxwell – Almost Natural

Lawrence Maxwell’s Almost Natural exhibits a soulfulness beyond this young Prince Edward Island artist’s years. This quality can be perhaps attributed to when, at the age of nineteen, sailed along the harsh waters of the Caribbean Sea, and was struck by tranquility of the feeling of the calm after a storm. This imagery is particularly prominent in the album’s opening track “We Were the Water,” a track which also sets the tone for some of the musical experimentations that exist throughout the collection. While exploring cosmic imagery and existential themes, Maxwell also offers listeners a taste of bluegrass with the fun and quick-paced “Fruit Flies,” and a glimpse of his heart in the closing ballad “Unfinished Business.” Maxwell navigates complicated themes often using contrasting imagery in songwriting and pairs it with a steady voice that makes him a trusted guide amongst the harshest of storms.

Having won a 2019 Music PEI Award, Maxwell’s Almost Natural could earn him the ECMA for 2021 Country Recording of the Year.

Norma MacDonald – Old Future

Nova Scotia’s Norma MacDonald delivers an enchanting storyteller quality to her music in her album Old Future. The opening track “Temperamental Year” sets the tone for the album, inviting the listener on a journey that will feature warm country melodies with stories putting forward challenging questions. “Lover of Unreason'' features MacDonald’s trademark musical storytelling (“there’s a hole where there once was the Sun...”) which is supported by guitar riffs that offer the listeners a glimpse of classic country traditions. The standout track “Trick of the Light'' is a true testament to her songwriting abilities based on the originality of the battling with shadows premise explored through light and dark imagery, which has been a recurring motif throughout the album. While the story of the song explores the challenges letting go, it, like many other tracks on this album, is juxtaposed with an uplifting musical quality that conveys to the listener that there are seldom easy answers to difficult questions.

MacDonald’s fourth album, Burn the Tapes (2015) earned her the distinction of being placed on the “Longer List” for the 2016 Polaris Prize. This year, MacDonald hopes to add the ECMA for 2021 Country Music Recording of the Year to her achievements.

The Heavy Horses – With Darkness In My Eyes

With Darkness In My Eyes is the sophomore album by The Heavy Horses, the pseudonym for Newfoundland musician Justin Mahoney that he uses for his “songs about outlaws, angels, and murder.” As the album title implies, this collection of songs explores the darkness that is revealed from living a life of hardship and heartache. Notable track “Cocaine and Whiskey” tells the story of a weary heart seeking comfort and solace, and is paired nicely with an Americana saloon-like musical quality. The standout track from this collection is “Crooked Smile” because of the notable shift to an upbeat tempo while still retaining the grit of the story of an outlaw reflecting on the choices and regrets of a life hard lived. Not to suggest that the album is nothing but doom and gloom, because a glimmer of hope exists in Mahoney’s voice as he takes the listener on a trip filled with sorrow and sadness as well as cocaine and whiskey.

The Heavy Horses’ debut album Murder Ballads & Other Love Songs was nominated for 2013 ECMA Country Recording of the Year as well as Folk Artist of the Yearat the 2013 Music NL Awards.

The 2021 East Coast Music Awards will be held May 5-9, 2021 in Sydney, Nova Scotia. www.ecma.com
This virtual celebration of East Coast Music will now occur June 9 - 13, 2021, entirely online.