Despite the popular narrative that you may have come in contact with, cover albums are by no means throwaway efforts from artists who are trying to establish their sound on the backs of others, and that’s exactly what singer Barbara J. proves in her second LP, A Box Full of Records, which is out now everywhere that independent music is sold and streamed. The cornerstone of the album is its three stellar singles, which feature Barbara J tackling #1 hits from The Carpenters, Poco and The Korgis, with each bearing only somewhat of a resemblance (outside of their conventional structures) to the original material. A Box Full of Records is not your average cover album, but more importantly, its creator is hardly your average cover artist.

A rusty string groove comes slithering through the silence and penetrates our speakers with a rebellious sway. It’s soon joined by a sultry croon from Francine Honey, who has built up quite the reputation for her intriguing style of countrified serenading, and as the rhythm grows too strong to be stifled, we’re lost in the swaggering swing of “Honey,” just one of eleven all new songs on the Canadian songwriter’s To Be Continued… LP, which is out and available now. Driven by a rambunctious urgency that jolts “Open Road,” “Stay” and the powerhouse “Shacked-up Sweetie” with a fiery zing, Honey’s latest album waste no time in grabbing our attention and whisking us away on a stunningly melodic thrill ride.