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REAL THING The Higgins (Open Road) ***
A tasty, barnstormin’ debut from a trio of singin’ siblings from Delta BC.

Produced by David Wills (Stonebolt) and Paul Shatto, this is major league stuff set to take country fans by storm. The Higgins have already enjoyed main stage action at the Merritt Mountain Music Festival, and having a manager like Nashville’s DJ McLachlan (do the names Cash, Scruggs, Gatlin and Bellmany ring a bell?) on your side helps too.

For a debut album, Real Thing has an unexpected air of confidence. The Higgins harmonize in that preternatural way only siblings can, and the music is jaunty. The exception is “Factory Girl”, an a cappella tour de force that recalls some of Alison Krauss’s stellar work for “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”- it’s THAT good.

The Dixie Chicks are an admitted influence and it shows. The twelve songs here range from feel-good stuff (“Sounds of Summer”) to darker territory (“16 Going On 30”) and “Factory Girl”, a song they’ve been singing since before even thinking of a record deal.

Not a big country music fan? The sweet harmonies and tight musicianship are still worthy of your attention. Canadian Country hasn’t had a big family act since The Wilkinsons- that changed June 24th when “Real Thing” hit store shelves. Enjoy!

KEY CUTS: “Factory Girl”, “Flower Child” (an ode to the Woodstock generation), “Second Hand Car”