Country and blues are deceptively simple genres. All you need is a guitar and soul. The guitar is the easy part. Having a soul, that’s something else – you can’t buy one from the store or go have lessons. To have a soul is to have a life, with all its ups and downs – pleasant, hectic, soothing, maddening. And Mr. Adam Bailie has lived life to the fullest, pouring his heart and soul out into the nine songs that make up his self-titled record.

Singing and playing for over 20 years now, the Canadian musician has honed both his voice and songwriting skill into a howling, wailing country-blues machine with a sound genuine and heart-melting. The man’s folksy singing style may turn out to be an acquired taste for some. But even if his unmistakable country timbre irritates your ear hairs beyond help, the sheer musicality and emotion oozing from his voice aren’t likely to go unnoticed. It doesn’t hurt that all nine songs are catchy, gentle tunes with impeccable production, either.

All the sound and instrumentation come through loud and clear, sounding brilliant and polished like a big-time, expensive record should. Yet, the songs are kept pleasantly simple – there’s no silly fanfare like overly dramatic orchestration or overwhelming instrumental layering. Adam and whoever acted as a producer kept the compositions basic and straightforward, coming up with just the right song structures for a record made of songs that simply work.

Overall, we find Mr. Bailie quite pleasant to listen to and we enjoyed immersing ourselves into his heartfelt musical stories. With a record so well put-together, you ought not to miss the opportunity!