What strikes you first about Ottawa is its adherence to classic country pop structures. But not long afterwards, your ears are tickled by tender, wry lyrics—whether they be a winking tribute to doomed founding Rolling Stone Brian Jones or lines like "You may be as free as/ some saxophone free jazz". Swan borrows a Sweetheart Of The Rodeo template to serve as platform for a timeless collection of songs. These tunes are simple, but never simple-minded—between Swan's touching vocal delivery and the crack band's gently understated playing, everyone tows the party line to create a little gem of a disc.