Hello Jeremy Fisher

How much do I love discovering great new artists? Only a smidge more than I love telling y'all about them. Most recently, I did it with Amy Winehouse, Jon McLaughlin, and James Morrison, but there have been others. And now I've got another one for you. On Monday I got an advance copy of Jeremy Fisher's debut CD, Goodbye Blue Monday, in the mail at work. Intrigued by the press materials, I loaded it up and was instantly captivated by the breezy hooks and Paul Simon–like sound. Jeremy's a singer-songwriter whose music is an appealing mix of folk, soul, blues and pop — kind of like a cross between Van Morrison, early Bob Dylan and, yes, Paul Simon — which makes him something of a throwback to the '60s folk revival sound. Whatever you call it, I really like the CD.

As it turns out, Goodbye Blue Monday is only Jeremy's U.S. debut — he released his first CD in his native Canada in 2004, and Blue Monday was released up there in March. The video for Jeremy's song "Cigarettes" has already been viewed on YouTube nearly two million times. Personally, I prefer the song "Scar That Never Heals," and the video for that is below for you to sample. The song is like a cross between "Me & Julio Down by the Schoolyard" and the Violent Femmes' "Blister in the Sun." If you want to download those two tracks and three others, you can do so at this site. The full Blue Monday CD won't be out stateside until August 28, so those five tracks should tide you over until then. Actually, I'm kind of surprised the CD isn't being released sooner; "Scar That Never Heals" is a perfect summer song. It's one of the catchiest tunes I've heard in a long time, particularly that tongue-twister of a chorus with all those "doo doo doos." I expect to play it many times in the coming months. And maybe you'll be doing the same.