Melissa McClelland - Thumbelina's One Night Stand

She’s the latest thrush to join Sarah Harmer and Kathleen Edwards in the ranks of top Canadian songbirds. Although McClelland gets helps from Sarah McLachlan, Greg Keelor and Justin Rutledge on her second label album, it’s her rich, colorful vocals and quirky music—dubbed “pop noire”—that really steal the show. Standout tracks like the funky “Passenger 24,” the swampy gospel “Go Down Matthew” and the country-tinged “Come Home Suzi” are off-kilter story songs, full of eccentric, memorable characters.