Skydiggers Provide a Cool Canadian Version of a Warm Embrace

The Skydiggers are yet another example of how some of the finest bands that hail from our neighbor to north are often sadly negated by those that reside south of the border. An amazingly versatile band that makes music of a consistently accessible variety, the Skydiggers have produced a string of excellent albums over the years, none more so than their latest offering, Warmth of the Sun. While the title conjures up images of vintage Beach Boys, there’s not a hint of surf music or sunny Pacific Coast harmonies to be found amongst the dozen or so songs included here. No matter though; in their place, the band offer up a compelling mix of stirring Americana melodies and radio ready songs that ensure instant appeal throughout. With Michael Timmins of the Cowboy Junkies behind the boards, the band are offered opportunity to express their instrumental ingenuity as well as a varied vocal approach that brings newer recruit Jessy Bell Smith and longtime mainstays Josh Finlayson and Andy Maize to the fore for specific songs. “Push Comes to Shove,” “The Rock,” “Needle and Thread,” and the title track figure among the many highlights, but it’s a surprising note for note cover of the Hollies’ “The Air That I Breathe” that accounts for the album’s final flourish.Latent/Factor