Evalyn Parry - Unreasonable (2025)

If this girl (her term, not mine) didn't have a sense of humor, her second album of topical radical lesbian, Canadian environmentalist, antiwar modern singer/songwriter folk music would be downright insufferable. But Evalyn Parry's sense of humor does save her, even if it comes across s a bit strained on such strident fare as "Always" (message: bleached white cotton sanitary pads are a Bad Thing), "Weed Free" (message: chemical lawn treatments are a Bad Thing) and "Profit in the Margins" (message: sympathetic gay characters on TV shows are a Bad Thing, because, you see, they represent the for-profit commodification of what was supposed to be a radical alternative subculture). Other Bad Things include drive-through windows in general and McDonald's in particular, gas stations, the United States. Okay, fine, and maybe she's even right about most of this stuff -- but wouldn't it be fun if, once in a while, she expressed a view that wasn't completely predictable, that didn't make it sound like she's presenting herself for a pat on the head from the Committee for Correct Thinking? On the other hand, "Stone and the Bumblebee" is a downright elegant love song that uses a gentle and elegant image to portray the gritty and often disappointing reality of domestic relationships. So it's not like she isn't capable of doing better. © Rick Anderson