Jasper, Alberta is not only home to some of the most stunning landscapes in the country, but also one of the best venues to see live roots acts as well. So it’s fitting that Saskatchewan’s Blake Berglund picked the Jasper Legion to record a live record with his band the Vultures. Berglund is an honest to goodness country & western singer, the Vultures are a gritty, hot-shot country band, and the rowdy crowd at the Legion clearly dug their down and dirty ditties and the occasional tear-in-the-beer heartbreaker the boys serve up so well. Made up of songs Berglund and the boys have been playing for years, as well as a few new cuts thrown in for good measure, Jasper is a great snapshot of a country artists on the rise. From the boot-scootin’ boogie-woogie of “Hangin’ By a Thread” to the too-tough-to-cry “Funny Thing About Leaving You” to the gut-bustin’ greasy good times of “Love is Like a Rodeo,” the boys don’t let up, delivering track after track of good old-fashioned, true faded denim blue country music. If that sounds up your alley, forget about Dan Romano, because Blake Berglund is the real deal. (Independent, blakeberglund.com) Sheldon Birnie