For most fans in the United States George Canyon is but a footnote in the history of country music for his runner-up status on the 2nd season of Nashville Star.  While George did release one album in the states on Universal Records South, he has had a remarkable run of success in his Native Canada.  He's won numerous CCMA and Juno (Canada's "Grammys") awards since 2004 and even released a cover album of his favorite 'classic' Country songs in 2007. For his sixth album (he recorded one before Nashville Star) "What I Do," George has moved from Universal Canada proper to 604/Universal Canada. 604 Records is the boutique label owned by superstar Chad Kroeger (of Nickelback) and home to Theory of a Dead Man and Canadian country artists Jessie Farrell and Aaron Pritchett.  

The lead single from the album, "Just Like You" was written for and about George's son Kale and while the lyrics go down a path not unlike what Rodney Atkins sang about in "Watching You," Canyon sings about how he really wants to be able to live the simple life just like his son does.  Written with album producer Richard Marx and Gary Harrison, this song certainly has a sound that would fit right at home on Country radio in the USA.  Another song on the record that is about Canyon's song is the excellent power ballad "What I Do."  It's a heart-on-the-sleeve kind of song about a parent's role in raising their children and guiding them through their life and while the last verse predictably finds Canyon dying off and 'watching' from above, the song is pretty damn good.

Over the course of his career, Canyon has always stood out more on the ballads than on the up-tempo tracks and there are quite a few of them here.  Kroeger and Joey Moi co-produced "Second Chance," and if you replace the steel guitar with the acoustic guitars I can totally see the song being a Nickelback track-which probably isn't a good thing-but Canyon, who wrote the song with Kroeger and Richard Marx certainly elevates the material with his strong vocal.  One of the biggest surprises on the record is "In Your Arms Again," a pretty duet written by George and Richard Marx that is sung with fellow Canadian Crystal Shawanda.  Their lyrics on the song really speak to it being a major event track and hopefully this song about a couple separated because of war will find its way stateside.  The two vocalists sound remarkable together and not only that but they sound very believable.

Other interesting tracks are "Betty's Buns," a shuffling fiddle-laced track written with his wife Jennifer, "Last Man," and Chuck Cannon and Phil Madeira's "If I Was Jesus," an off-kilter track that Toby Keith recorded a few years back.  The album's production is pretty much mainstream country music but there still are a few more banjos, fiddles and steel guitars than your average music row album circa 2008, particularly on "Pretty Drunk Out Tonight."  There are also a couple of Johnny Reid co-writes on the record which has me thinking that Reid is the Canadian equivalent to Jeffrey Steele in that he seems to be a go-to guy for other Canadian stars (in addition to recording his own albums).  

"What I Do" may not be available in many places south of the Canadian border as of yet but that doesn't mean people shouldn't seek it out.  Also, if I were starting a record label, I might be inclined to sign an artist of Canyon's caliber and give him another shot at USA stardom, if he were to want such things (as this and his previous albums suggest he does).