A tasty crème brûlée of smooth folk and sweet pop, Martine Groulx’s latest album is a homemade dish from her own Lazy at Work label; a veritable cordon bleu kitchen for budding Canadian singer-songwriter types. Trumpeting Groulx’s artistic triumphs and amorous defeats with equal enthusiasm, The Parade easily outstrips her tentative 2004 debut Empty Picture Frames, which was burdened with toe-dipping coquettishness.
This time around, the Camaromance vehicle of choice is a communal clown-car stuffed with a seemingly endless procession of guests and well-wishers who march through the album’s dozen tracks, flipping their batons and swinging their indie banners in a massive victory lap. Celebratory conspirators Tasha Cyr, François Plante, Alex McMahon and Jérôme Dupuis-Cloutier showcase their considerable talents, bringing weight and substance to charming cuts like “I Love a Surprise,” the nitpicking “Semantic Memories” and the coyly speculative “What Happens Next?”
Camaromance will perform at Vern’s on Tuesday, March 16.
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