Art comes easy to Jessica Rhaye. Whether she's honing her graphic design skills at New Brunswick's College of Craft and Design, or writing sugar-sweet folk music inspired by the records of her youth, the Canadian siren makes quite the impression. Warm, whimsical and winsome, her latest record, Good Things, bursts with rootsy instrumentation, lyrical candor and sun-kissed melodies that have drawn comparisons to everyone from Veruca Salt's Nina Gordon to pop powerhouse Jewel. Moving into more organic territory than her past triumphs - the modestly majestic self-titled debut, and its accomplished follow-up Short Stories - the new record benefits from countless tours across Canada, stints in Africa, the states and a canvassing of the UK.

With bolstered live chops, additionally complimented by work alongside Canadian royalty like Ron Sexsmith, Rhaye emerges with a distinct voice and one of the finest folk albums of the year - exemplified by her Canadian Folk Music Award nom and a 2010 East Coast Music award nod for, you guessed it, Folk Recording of the Year.