Be Good Tanyas

After a three-year hiatus (during which Frazey Ford had a baby and banjo-player Trish Klein spent time with her other band, Po’ Girl), the Be Good Tanyas have returned with their third full-length release. Kicking things off with a bluesy vibe in "Human Thing,” the first half of the disc sparkles with the kind of gentle twang that made their 2001 debut, Blue Horse, such a delight. The pace slows to a speed more reminiscent of the laid-back rootsy folk on 2003’s Chinatown with the title track — a down-tempo acoustic number smack dab in the middle of the record. Things get a bit sluggish through the mellow half of the album, although the beautiful cover of Mississippi John Hurt’s "Nobody Cares for Me” is a highlight that perfectly showcases the Tanyas’ signature breathy vocal harmonies. There are several other well-chosen cover songs sprinkled through the disc — most notably, Neil Young’s "For the Turnstiles,” and the exquisite rendition of Sean Hayes’s "A Thousand Tiny Pieces.” The disc wraps up with the only questionable choice: a cover of Prince’s "When Doves Cry,” which is neither a particularly good fit for the band nor different enough from the original to be exciting. As for their own songs, Hello Love offers more of the same exceptionally pretty melodies that we’ve come to expect from the Vancouver trio. Fans worldwide will undoubtedly welcome the long-awaited return of one of the defining bands of the West coast roots scene.