When I subscribed to eMusic.com, I was expecting to download the albums I did not already have from my favourites, whether it's the poignant brit-folk Oysterband or the upbeat acoustic Great Big Sea. The latter does not really exist on the site, but the Oysterband's  discography [save "Rise Above"] is available for download.

The Paperboys formed around 1995 and since then have produced a decent number of studio projects. I never really heard that many songs by them because the stuff I listened to for so long was more well-known within the celtic music circles.

The album "Postcards" is so eclectic I was surprised that someone without the word "Haggis" in their name could produce something this colourful. The song list is moderate in length, but the style range from pop to bluegrass, alternative country to zydeco, latin/flamenco to celtic. It's unbelievable that you could go from beginning to end and hear one band sound like 5 or 6 differing ones.

The album launches with a happy-go-lucky song reminiscent of the Barenaked Ladies or GBS in virtually every respect. The influence of Spirit of the West is most noticeable here too, but the candian folk-rockers don't slow down after a great opener. It progresses to "The Cop, The Scot, the Gal, and the Neighbor." It's sort of a celtic trip-hop song with a funky back beat and heavy instrumentals. There are no lyrics here, but if you're sharing a Guinness at the corner pub this might lift your spirits.

"Santiago A Sevilla" is a flamenco dance number. I'm not a huge latino buff, but the sound of the continent is very evident. I find this song at least enchanting, and it will appeal to not only the celtic fanatics but also the mainstreamers.

"Goodbye" is a bluegrass song and is pretty good for a non-bluegrass fan. "Falling Down" is a folk trip-hop number similar to that instrumental song earlier but this time with words. It sort of hits the ears like a post-grunge hard rock-crossed country tune. It's good, possibly the best song on the album. It's worthy of notice and is the song that might be the widest appeal of this album.

"Still the Night" is what I'd consider bluegrass, but it's characterised as zydeco. I must say that term was new to me, but after reading up on the style it makes sense. I think this is the funnest song and contrasts the prior song better than I expected. They're nearly polar opposites. This is a great number and certainly completes the album. It's followed by "Triste Cancion" which is ignorable to me since once again I know nothing of the lyrics and forgot all the spanish I used to know. The style is pretty, but it's not enough to make this a stand out track.

On a side note, the vocals slightly resemble Keith Urban on a few of the more hick-oriented tracks. Now, reverse that, Keith Urban sounds like the vocals in this album because this band was established before he was in the music business.

"Le Muton Noir" is another celtic instrumental. For me this was one-too-many on this album. I like words, I like to sing along. My favourite bands limit instrumentals to one, maybe two, tracks at worst.

"Mary" is another gem, modeled a lot after mainstream southern rock and thus has a quaint sound with religious lyric. I think it's third or fourth on the list in ranking to me, it's been on my playlist constantly with the others I really liked off this album.

"Standing Here" is a great fast celtic reel. It's got some good times written into it and surely will get your foot stomping.

"Cantares" and "Foxhunter's Waltz" close out this album, both are once again good but they didn't rescue the album from a mediocre rating. The tracks are 50/50, the better half was so good I never thought I'd find it outside the few bands I really love. The other 50% is ok, but not my favourite. It balances out at a good rating, though, even if  feel the album is somewhat mediocre as a unit.

A few good diddies, a few slow ones too. Without lyrics half the instrumentals get lost in the endless playtime that drags on and on. The songs with words are reflective or funny, sometimes socially aware, but not as deep as the Oysterband.

The Paperboys are good, but they feel too much like a cross between Spirit of the West and Great Big Sea for me to rate them at a level of those two bands. They've capitalised on the musical styles they've borrowed, but they lack much of the originality other bands have used in their favour. They havem however, trained it to make them very successful, and for that I appreciate their musical influence. The Oysterband, though awesome, does not market itself like this band does.

Therefore, they will reach more unsuspecting ears than any of their predecessors would have.