(Six Shooter Records, Nov. 6, 2007)

I had a grandmother who could run circles around my friends and I. She’d drink us under the table, hold her own with the worst of our profanity and was the hit of any school dance she chaperoned. It’s this sort of playful vivacity that springs to mind when I listen to Nevertheless, the latest release from heralded Winnipeg songstress, Christine Fellows.

Of course, I’m not trying to liken Fellows to an elderly woman—no matter how vivacious—I’m simply drawing attention to the fact that the entirety of Nevertheless is electrified by an almost vaudevillian playfulness not hampered by convention.

Encouraged by lively accompaniment and often boisterous piano, and built around clean, confident and pert vocals, Nevertheless makes for a refreshingly enjoyable and effervescent folk-pop romp, of which the first-half pairing of “Saturday Night on Utopia Parkway” and “The Spinster’s Almanac” is an excellent example.

However, when it comes down to it I’m ultimately drawn to this record by Fellows’ endearing and straight-forward vocal delivery. Never sounding as though she takes herself too seriously, Fellows’ is still able to lend just enough weight to her lyrics (not unlike John K. Samson, of The Weakerthans, who contributes backing vocals to a few tracks), which are far from throwaways. At times veering perilously close to child entertainer territory, there is just enough melancholy and sophistication on display here to keep things on the right side of cute.

That said, for my money the album is at its best when indulging in its more upbeat numbers, and there is no better example of this than the title track. Combining Fellows’ endearing and innocent vocals with keys straight out of Supertramp’s “Dreamer,” “Nevertheless” is the track that keeps me coming back for more and kicks the door open for the rest of the excellent songwriting on this album.

At the end of the day Nevertheless is a fun record from a unique Canadian talent that achieves an admirable balance between being sophisticated and carefree. Besides, my grandma was one hell of a lady, so anything remotely close to being reminiscent of her is OK in my book!

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Listen to tracks from Nevertheless on Christine Fellows’ Myspace page or buy digital copies or all of her albums here. Also, check her out as she opens for The Weakerthans at the Phoenix on Nov. 7 & 8.