There was always something sexy about Purgatory. No one wants to hang out in Hell, but was Heaven ever really that appealing, either? How does that Talking Heads song go? “Heaven is a place where nothing ever happens…” Close to Paradise is one of those rare gems of an album that can stand as a gateway to wherever you want it to take you.

On the one hand it’s impossible to ignore Patrick Watson as a classic singer-songwriter; the charming young piano-player with the haunting voice. The big impact of an otherwise simple song like “The Great Escape” is a testament to the attention that Patrick’s voice, delivery and sensibility command. Just try and avoid vocal comparisons to Jeff Buckley on “Luscious Life” (inflected with just a bit of Sufjan Stevens-like orchestration), or the penetrating stripped-down gospel of “Bright Shiny Lights”. In some ways Close to Paradise is the coming-out party for one of Canada’s most exciting young vocalists

Maybe most importantly, in the age of playlists, Close to Paradise is actually an album. Make no mistake, there are pop gems that are happy to stand on their own like “Giver” or “Drifters”), but “Bright Shiny Lights” is that much more uplifting after you take the trip that is “Sleeping Beauty”. Records used to do that kind of thing. They still can. You know, if you want them to.

Play it loud, with headphones.