The 'beginning-to-end energy' of Begonia's Powder Blue

Begonia's Powder Blue is one of this year's 10 Polaris Music Prize-nominated albums, and CBC Music's Shortlist Shortcut series is back to help music fans find out the key details about the shortlisted records.

Scroll down to dig into the story behind Powder Blue, the tracks you need to know, and the perfect summer activity to complement your listening. You can also listen to The Ten radio special on the album, below.

Artist:

Begonia.

Album:

Powder Blue.

Polaris Music Prize history:

This is Begonia's first shortlist appearance. Her debut album, Fear, was longlisted in 2020.

Story behind the nominated album:

Growing up in the Mennonite church exposed Winnipeg's Begonia (a.k.a. Alexa Dirks) to the power of music at an early age. "My mom would have me on her hip, singing harmony right in my ear," recalled the singer-songwriter, in conversation with CBC's Tom Power. She admitted to getting "swept away by the emotional pull" of hymns and evangelical songs.

Today, Dirks is no longer involved with the church, but the songs on Powder Blue retain the persuasiveness that she witnessed there. "Standin' on a church pew, screamin' out to something," she sings on "Marigold," an urgent pop-rock confessional about decoding the messages that desire send us. On "Married by Elvis," an uncharacteristically tender song about the absurdities of love and what it makes you do, she summons sterling similes: "Standing at the steeple/ acting like a couple stupid people."

Exclaim reviewer Erica Commisso described "a words-first form of pop music," and while that's an apt description of her vivid songwriting, the engine that propels Powder Blue is undeniably Begonia's singing. The album opens with an arresting a cappella verse — she told Power she "just wanted to start with what it all boils down to for me, [which] is the voice" — and it lures you into "Chasing Every Sunrise," a sepia-toned slow jam whose harmonic progressions and vocal phrasing recall Roberta Flack's legendary "Killing me Softly" cover. On "I'm not Dying," a delightful kiss-off song, her breezy singing is equal parts soul, country and pop.

"This record goes all over the map in terms of genre and vibe," she admitted, and yet the Polaris jury has recognized that Powder Blue coheres. Of course, it's by design. "I'm a very album-conscious person," she continued. "I really care about the tracklisting; I really care about the beginning-to-end energy."

Notable players:

Matt Schellenberg and Matthew Peters are a production duo with whom Begonia writes all her songs. Powder Blue impresses the listener as a collective, rather than solo, effort.

Standout songs:

'Butterfly' 

A breathtaking ballad with piano, strings, oboe obbligato (!) and vocals that conjure Joni Mitchell.

'Heaven'

A dreamy, almost haunting synth-pop anthem about shedding past lives. "If I get to heaven, will I be free?"

Recommended if you like:

Brittany Howard, Sir Woman, Margo & Mac.

Summer activity pairing:

A solitary bike ride at twilight. The uptempo songs will energize you as the breeze rushes against your face, and nobody will see the tears streaking down your cheeks when the slower songs' emotions surge.

Don't miss Shortlist Summer: a season-long showcase of the 10 albums shortlisted for the 2023 Polaris Music Prize. Read the weekly Polaris Shortlist Shortcut feature at cbcmusic.ca/polaris and tune into The Ten radio special every Sunday night at cbc.ca/listen.