Saskatchewan. Such a funny word—like saying "sasquatch" and "Szechuan" simultaneously. Go on, try it. Sounds silly, right? Except, of course, when B. J. Snowden sings it. Then the name of that chilly Canadian province seems utterly magical.
B. J. who? The dude who sang "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head?" No, dum-dum, that was B. J. Thomas. Bertha Jean "B. J." Snowden—who performs twice on Thursday, November 9, first at Wall of Sound Records and later at Cafe Venus/Mars Bar—is a disarmingly sincere songwriter and performer, perhaps best known for her composition "In Canada," featured on the compilation Songs in the Key of Z: The Curious Universe of Outsider Music.
What in tarnation is an artist who warbles the praises of the Great White North doing in a column allegedly devoted to Americana? Cool your jets, cowboy. Admittedly, Snowden exists outside the universe of No Depression and the Tractor Tavern. When it comes to her stage attire, she favors sequins over spurs, cornrows to cowboy hats. Her mom drives her to shows, and her Van Halen—loving son often accompanies her on guitar.
But Snowden doesn't really fit in to any genre or scene, which is precisely what makes her so beguiling. She has pioneer spirit. Her debut album, the 1996 release Life in the USA and Canada, bursts with ditties about the two nations and their denizens. "In Canada" kicks off with what sounds like a musical quote from the Elvis Presley classic "Can't Help Falling in Love," before blossoming into a paean to Snowden's "home away from home" where "they never will be mean." But fear not, she loves America, too. "U.S. Navy Song" opens the album with a moving homage to our troops at sea.
Although she works as a schoolteacher, Snowden graduated from Berklee College of Music, and her chops are surprisingly formidable. Her primary instrument is the piano, but her enthusiasm for her art suggests she hasn't met an object yet she couldn't coax sweet music from; soprano recorder features prominently on many of her originals. She started composing at age 3, and she still retains a childlike innocence in her art today.
The chord changes of "Ode to Lesley" recall Burt Bacharach, while the instrumental "Happy Beat" suggests Duke Ellington composing incidental music for Sesame Street. "La Luna Bella" dabbles with Latin rhythms. As a vocalist... well, Snowden's pitch isn't always rock solid, but hell, the same can be said of Liza Minnelli and Maria Callas, and nobody contests their iconic status.
Snowden is a uniquely American success story. She self-released her own cassettes, one of which made its way to a New York record store, where employees were so smitten they bankrolled Life in the USA. Fred Schneider of the B-52s produced her Christmas EP and has been a vocal champion. She sings about peace, love, and naval fleets with showbiz flair, yet nary a hint of phony-baloney smarminess or post-whatever irony. "Saskatchewan" may always be good for a chuckle, but B. J. Snowden is nobody to laugh at.
