Photo Credit: Jerry Vo

Certain musicians and voices just belong in a church; Basia Bulat is among those who fit perfectly in such atmospheres. Saturday’s show at Trinity St. Paul’s in Toronto saw a line of people waiting in a line that went all the way around the block; impressive for Bulat who played at the Music Gallery, another church but half the size, just two years prior.

Opening the night were the Luyas from Montreal. This super-band of sorts is filled with many familiar faces including members of Bell Orchestre and Torgnat. The band’s sound is almost identical to the highly instrumented intricacies of Bell Orchestre but paired with the quirky Joanna Newsom-esque vocals of lead singer Jessie Stein. Stein’s voice, at times, falls out of place with the grandeur of lush horns and strings though. Musically, The Luyas are spectacular and intriguing; definitely a band that takes several listens to adjust to but is worth the patience. I don’t particularly understand their pairing with Bulat, as it’s not really the same type of audience but it was nice nonetheless to see them play.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/theluyas

Basia Bulat, celebrating the release of her new album Heart Of My Own, played mostly from that release, but still enchanting the audience. The thing about all of Bulat’s tunes is that they have a sense of comfort and joy; every track sounds phenomenal with a quality about it that makes you comfortable tapping your foot along to. Bulat, accompanied by a full band including brother/drummer, Bobby Bulat sounded the best I’ve ever heard them. The band’s captivating folk sound filled up the space beautifully and Bulat’s voice, with and without a mic, hit every surface of the church with a sweetness and amazement in every note. If you ever want to capture a fulfilling Basia Bulat set, go to a church.

MySpace: http://www.myspace.com/basiabulat