Lynn Miles – Bouquet

She is an exceptional talent, both as a songwriter and a performer

Lynn Miles – Bouquet
Format: CD
Label: Must Have Music
Release: 2026

Release date: February 27, 2026

LYNN MILES (trio) NL TOUR MAART/APRIL 2026

If you do an online search for Canadian singer-songwriters the same names always come up, names such as Joni Mitchell, Leonard Cohen, and Neil Young

One name that rarely comes up is that of Lynn Miles, and it always amazes me that this outstanding songwriter is not better known and celebrated outside her own country, not least because she has been nominated for the Juno award (Canadian Grammy) for Roots Traditional Album of the year three times, winning it in 2003, and is also the recipient of no less than 6 Canadian Folk Music Awards including 3 for songwriter of the year.

She is an exceptional talent, both as a songwriter and a performer, but this is an artist who has always done things her own way and on her own terms. Her focus has always been on her music rather than becoming a star act, which is probably why she has succeeded in building a career, as a musician, that is now entering its fourth decade.

The celebrated New York Times music critic, John Pareles, wrote that Miles’ music “makes forlorn feel like a state of grace.” To listen to Lynn Miles’ music is to understand exactly what he meant. She writes melodies that haunt you and lyrics that seem to look into your soul to find a connection with your own life’s stories. In 2008 Lynn embarked on her ‘Black Flowers’ project, an ambitious intention to record all the songs she has written, using just her voice and guitar playing. Explaining the scale of the project, Lynn has said, “I have hundreds of songs, and 16 albums released, so that alone is about 170 songs floating around the universe. Full band recordings are expensive, I would not be able to record every song with a “full treatment “, but I want my songs out there in world. When a song is recorded and released, I feel more settled because it exists beyond my front door. I like sending songs out that are just me and my guitar, or piano, because that’s the way they’re written and I feel like they are charcoal sketches”.

Following on from that first Black Flowers album there have, to date, been three more. Black Flowers Vol 2 was released in 2009, Vol 3 in 2012, and Vol 4, the latest in the series to date, was released in 2014. Now, we have a “Bouquet of Black Flowers”, 15 tracks drawn from across the four volumes so far recorded. The strength of these songs lies in the simplicity of the recording. Lynn’s songs are always enjoyable but recorded in this way they become intimate and more personal, almost as if you’re in the room while she’s performing. It brings added depth and intensity to songs like ‘Sweet & Tender Heart’, ‘I Always Told You the Truth’, and ‘Rust’, all included on this excellent selection.

Website: https://lynnmiles.ca/home.html

Tracks:
01.  I’m Still Here
02.  Sweet and Tender Heart
03.  Sorry That I Broke Your Heart
04.  Hockey Night in Canada
05.  After All
06.  A Thousand Lovers
07.  Look Up
08.  I Give Up
09.  Fearless Heart
10. Map Of My Heart
11. Sorry’s Just Not Good Enough
12. Surrender Dorothy
13. I Always Told you The Truth
14. The One You’re Waiting For
15. Rust

All songs by Lynn Miles, Socan 1, 4, 8, 13, 14, 15 Criterion Music Corp 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. 7. 9,10,11, 12 Cold Girl Music