I’ve a few musical recommendations for your December – though not Christmas music.

After hearing the single, “Be A Man” on CBC Radio2, I’ve been enjoying Justin Rutledge’s album, “The Early Widows” (available DRM-free from Zunior). Turns out it was also produced by Hawksley Workman.

More recently, I discovered that some of the remnants of the band Pure were back together on a new project. Pure’s 1994 album Generation Six-Pack is a favourite (available on cassette from Amazon for $0.98). I recall the 1994 departure of keyboardist Mark Henning explained due to the keyboards becoming irrelevant in an increasingly guitar-driven sound (and I do love those guitars).

Henning is partnered up with Pure vocalist Jordy Birch on a new keyboard-driven project called Guilty About Girls. Their album The Very Best Of… is available DRM-free from their own site and can be streamed for free.

Oh, and if you are looking for Christmas music, Acts of Volition Radio Christmas from 2004 pretty much covers the state of the art. One update would include Sarah McLauchlan’s Wintersong. It includes an excellent cover of the Joni Mitchell classic, River.