Every so often something comes along that just smacks you in the head with something so freaking unexpected you look for a house number on the cave you’ve been sleeping in. Perhaps it’s a debut album, an opening act you had never heard of before, or, as is the case for me, you just quite plainly arrived late to the party. Whatever the case, Terra Lightfoot has just lit the light bulb above my cranium and I’m hitting my forehead with that big “a-ha” moment.

What seems most remarkable is just how many influences pop out all at once. A foot in the Chicago blues, another in Memphis soul, and then she puts a third one in Nashville. The result is a combustible and full out gritty rock ‘n’ roll album. You can accuse me of being over the top here, but Every Time My Mind Runs Wild could give the Alabama Shakes – Sound & Color a run for my favourite record of the year.

Opening with a bluesy number in “All Alone” she quickly shifts gears blasting into a couple all out rockers with “No Hurry” and “Never Will;” which is just the opening salvo in the record that continues to toss song after song of great roots rock. Then, just as you think you’ve figured her out, she slows down again to take on countrified ballads that sound like they were recorded in Big Pink.

Ultimately, I’m just hoping that her music gets heard beyond the southern Ontario base she calls home. Every Time My Mind Runs Wild is the kind of album that reminds me of what drove me towards being a music geek in the first place; a connection to music that demands me to play it over and over until I wear both the vinyl and needle out.