Some voices are definitely best suited for specific genres, but a voice like Steven Taetz’s can handle it all. Rollicking contemporary roots rock, gentle pop ballads, blue-eyed soul, and cool jazz — he approaches it all without flinching, delivering songs with a strong and crystal clear voice that demands the listener’s full attention. The Toronto-based singer and songwriter has previously collaborated with JUNO winners Jill Barber, Jenn Grant, Caroline Marie Brooks of Good Lovelies, and Connie Kaldor, and has crossed paths with every kind of artist, taking inspiration from everything that catches his ear. His self-titled 2013 album is an eclectic mix of unabashedly dramatic and often roots-tinged singer-songwriter fare, but its follow-up, 2018’s Drink You In saw Taetz shift into full-on crooner mode, with a collection of impeccably performed jazz standards and new compositions. His new album, out early 2023, has been likened to the music of k.d. lang and Roy Orbison; golden era Nashville meets Canadiana. Taetz continues to prove that he’s game for anything, provided it gives him a chance to sing his beautiful heart out.