The Faux Paws

With a sound soaked in the contra dance and bluegrass tradition, The Faux Paws (brothers Andrew and Noah VanNorstrand and Chris Miller) could easily have served us a neat side of familiar folk, but the boys expertly play with our expectations and the 11 tracks on their debut introduce an exciting new trio. There are several sweet songs here, many with an almost pop-y vibe. ‘She's Not Looking for You’ or ‘Child of the Great Lakes’ are cute, but the Paws’ strength is most evident when they let loose their Cajun spirit. Barn-buster ‘Guacmaster’ is a groovy instrumental, complete with saxophone solo, while ‘Southport,’ another semi-experimental number, delivers fiery percussion that sets the scene for a toe-tapping frenzy of fiddle and sax. These two tracks are worth the price of the album alone, but some songs disappear a little into the background.

In lesser hands, the blending of jazz, funk and dance influences would run the risk of becoming messy, but this accomplished trio merge the sounds effortlessly. The group's debut may have been ten years in the making, but it's a testament to their talent that The Faux Paws is a fresh, feel-good and sheer fun listen.