This latest LP from Nashville-based Jonny Fritz (formerly Corndawg) is sure to delight fans of well crafted country songs. Fritz’s sharp wit and dark humour are prominent among 11 of the 12 tracks (the final cut is an instrumental), particularly the gut busting examinations of the grinding reality of touring for a living “Goodbye Summer,” “Ain’t It Your Birthday,” and the decidedly darker “Fever Dreams.” Fritz also tackles the heartbreak of a crumbling relationship (“Shut Up” and “All We Do Is Complain”), sex as religious experience (“Holy Water”), and suicide (“Have You Ever Wanted To Die?”). While Jonny’s lyrics are front and centre, the arrangements throughout Dad Country are all strong and on point, a tasteful mix of classic Nashville and California country sounds. Jonny Fritz is a damn fine songwriter and a brilliant performer. With luck, Dad Country will be his introduction to a larger audience, and hopefully we’ll see him make an appearance up our way sometime soon. (ATO Records, jonnyfritz.com) Sheldon Birnie