“I am just after your heart,” whispers coyly the Ottawan folkie on One Lane Highway off her consummate sophomore outing Hibernation Nation. Recalling a young Alison Krauss, unmannered and ethereal, Simms-Karp seduces through her ability to arrest without showing off nor creating superfluous melodramas. There’s already tragedy galore in her prose – “How do I rescue you from the sea?” on Timoneer – and the musicianship showcased here, magnified by Dean Watson and the singer’s economical production, boasts nice surprises: Magpie’s galloping accordion, Northern’s solemn banjo and violin. With Hibernation Nation’s fine, fine assortment of intimate and swaying songs, Simms-Karp may just as well have accomplished her mission: stealing our hearts.

Guillaume Moffet, Ottawa XPress