I had never heard of Canadian Singer-Songwriter Plaskett until someone I trust suggested that I catch his showcase at the International Folk Alliance in Memphis. His set was only 20 minutes long but he held the room for every minute of it with catchy melodies and witty lyrics. The highlight was the song “Down, Down, Down”, with Plaskett accompanied by fellow Canadians Rose Cousins and Anna Egge. That song, with two women again singing harmony, is smack dab in the middle of Disc Two of this THREE CD set, and they sing harmony vocals on many other tracks as well. (Both women, by the way, have solo careers and are worth checking out.)
The number three – (3) – III – is an obsession with Plaskett on the album. Yes, there are three discs, three singers on many tracks and 12 of the 27 songs have the titles repeated (“Run, Run, Run” – “Deny, Deny, Deny” – “Gone, Gone, Gone”). It’s all done in fun and with good spirit and, as expected, there are THREE foldout mini-posters (in lieu of booklets) with the lyrics.
So in the spirit of the project, and at the risk of repeating myself, I’ll end this review with the words Well done!, Well done!, Well done!
by Steve Ramm