Northern Exposure: Katie Moore, 'Wake Up Like This' -- Free MP3

Montreal's Katie Moore is one of those singers other artists can't stop raving about -- the fiery redhead has worked her soulful pipes on stage with Klezmer rapper Socalled, crooned sweet backups for Cuff the Duke, and was part of Feist's band during the indie icon's appearance at the Vancouver Olympics.

Turns out those collaborators knew something the rest of us will hear for ourselves with the release of Moore's sophomore album, 'Montebello' (referencing the picturesque Quebec region where the 2007 Summit of the Americas took place) -- a showcase for her burnished alto, the elegant, moody collection of alt-country, folk, and bluegrass suggests Moore is due for her time in the spotlight.

Now the constellation of stars Moore has supported in recent years are returning the favour, with Socalled, Gonzales and members of Plants and Animals (the band's Warren Spicer served as producer) all lending a hand in the studio during the recording of 'Montebello.' The result is an intimate, retro vibe that evokes a casual (if effortlessly note-perfect) jam session around the kitchen table.

While the album's sound is old-timey, its inception was anything but: Moore cleverly raised funds for the recording via online-donation site Kickstarter.com, garnering $4500 from supporters (surpassing her original goal); she also started her own indie label, Purple Cat Records, to release 'Montebello.'

The album's centrepiece, 'Wake Up Like This,' evokes the folk classics of the '60s with its instantly memorable melody, rootsy fingerpicked guitar, gentle tambourine percussion, and Moore's grievous-angel vocals.

The delicate quaver of her voice (Moore evokes Canada's own answer to Emmylou Harris) suits the rueful timbre of the lovelorn lyrics -- it's an age-old story befitting the high lonesome sound: "You can't wake up every day like this," Moore sings. "You can't walk these streets alone mile for mile..."

But there's a glimmer of light amidst the clouds: "One day something in your eye/Will corral the right passerby," she soothes, and the jaunty little guitar solo that follows suggests things ain't all that bad -- that is, before the repeated refrain that closes out the tune hints that its lonely-hearted subject may have to hang in there just a bit longer.

Download: Katie Moore, 'Wake Up Like This' (MP3)