On North by South, Claire Lynch pays homage to her favorite Canadian songwriters on a set of bluegrass and new acoustic tracks. After her recent marriage to a Canadian, Lynch began to dig into the vast catalog of songs written by Canadian songwriters and found the inspiration for this project. Working with Alison Brown in the producer’s chair, she delivers stand out versions of Ron Sexsmith’s “Cold Hearted Wind” with Jerry Douglas on Dobro, the catchy “Kingdom Come” written by Old Man Luedecke featuring Béla Fleck (banjo) and Stuart Duncan (fiddle) and the gorgeous maritime ballad “Molly May” written by Cape Breton’s JP Cormier. Lynch also offers thoughtful reinterpretations of songs by Lynn Miles (“Black Flowers”), Dave Francey (“Empty Train”) and Gordon Lightfoot (“Worth Believing”) and contributes the light-hearted, self-penned “Milo” to the project.

“A sterling, silvery vocal presence and a gift for supple, emotional ornamentation…Lynch’s talent is a diamond…gorgeous voice and sense of purpose, supported by (a) superb ensemble.” —The Washington Post

“[Claire Lynch has a] gift for molding lyrics to melody...lovely, deftly austere” —The Boston Globe