Montreal singer, songwriter and pianist Elizabeth Shepherd is a rising star, due in no small part to her determination to bridge the gap between contemporary jazz and popular music. Her songs are clever and catchy but also profound (feminism, eco-activism and witchcraft are among the subjects under examination here), and her hip odd-meter grooves are complex but funky, muscular but never heavy- handed. Add in excellent and unusual sound design – the record plays through without gaps, punctuated by samples, found material and spoken word – and you have a Björk-meets- Steve Coleman-meets-Joni Mitchell sort of record that will further enhance the Canadian’s reputation. A guest appearance from acclaimed Beninese guitarist/vocalist Lionel Loueke adds another layer on three tracks. elizabethshepherd.com