Cleia

These are exciting times for roots music in Canada. With a plethora of refreshingly young, vibrant and talented performers emerging from all points of this great northern land, there's no-one quite like the exuberant and exciting Cleia. Sure there are lots of new singers, songwriters, instrumentalists and performers to admire, but these guys are different because they have it all. Imagine a hybrid of The Wailin' Jennies, Flook, Nic Jones and Ray Charles and you are starting to get the picture. The first thing that hits you when you see Cleia perform is their amazing singing. Hearing Karla and Keona Mundy's sibling harmonies blended perfectly with Norah Rendell's fine voice is enough to make your hair stand on end. If you have any doubts, listen to "Mother Gone to Glory" from their current cd "This Side of Main". But it doesn't stop there. Multi-instrumentalist Neil Hammond and guitarist Andy Hillhouse also provide strong lead singing and sturdy backing vocals which add weight and depth to those intricate and tasteful harmonies. Norah, Karla, Neil and Andy all take turns stepping up to the mike for lead vocal duties giving the band an enviable multi-pronged attack on the ... more...