Hey Stella! Can't you hear Brando -- the lean and muscular Brando -- standing in front of the tenement, crying to his wife, "Hey Stella!" The image is clear and unforgettable. If you're going to call your band something with such a specific and precise image attached to it, you have to reflect that image somehow! Well, this first album by Canadian band Hey Stella! has all the passion of Brando. They sound as though they're shouting in the street --in their undershirts! They want your attention, "Hey, Stella!!!" Maybe they need the extra exclamation marks!

Hey Stella! the band is a collection of four long time Canadian musicians. Singer Lori Yates has a handful of solo albums to her credit; Bazil Donovan (bass, guitar) is a member of Blue Rodeo; David Baxter has played with Papa John Phillips and the Northern Pikes (among others) and Michelle Josef has drummed for everyone from Prairie Oyster, to Amos Garrett, Taj Mahal and many others. What a curriculum vitae! Hey Stella! the album is a conglomeration of tunes (covers and originals) that share one element, they've been Stella-ized. The foundation provided by Ms. Josef's solid, less-is-more drumming is enhanced by Donovan's heavy duty stand-up bass. Baxter's guitar is allowed the freedom to roam throughout, but he chooses to stay close to the melody, and Lori Yates's vocals are the center-piece.

At lunch with Michelle Josef, where she presented me with my review copy of the CD, I glanced at the songlist and said, "'The Last Thing On My Mind', I love that song!" "Well, here's another version!" she quipped. It's the first song on the album and it is unlike any other version I've heard. It sets the tone for the rest of the album. Sort of garage band meets Patsy Cline. Almost as if Emmylou Harris was the featured singer on the Hindu Love Gods album. Yeah that's the sound! Country music played through rockin' blues. The after Tom Paxton's classic is despatched, they kick into Zevon's "Carmelita." They convinced me that they might be "all strung out on heroin on the outskirts of town." What town is it? Well, in this case it might be the town from Touch of Evil, with Orson Welles's debauched detective leaning against the wall. Then it's Dolly Parton's "Jolene" done in a haunting, skeletal arrangment. They also cover Daniel Lanois' "The Messenger", Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue" and Bowie's "Rebel Rebel" in their own inimitable style. The guitar sounds here like Duane Eddy, there like Angelo Badalamenti. The rhythm section is steady and true.

The original songs are strong, stand on their own, and blend seemlessly with the well chosen covers. Yates's vocals at first listen seemed a tad overdone, but then I started playing the album loud, and it all made sense. This is a fine album of country rock, raw and invigorating. Will there be a follow up?

Who knows. For now let's just enjoy what we have. Hey Stella! listen to this!

[David Kidney]