Po' Girl is a Canadian music group whose style derives from folk, country and jazz. The band evolved from a series of jam sessions, in 2000, between Trish Klein of The Be Good Tanyas and Allison Russell, then of Fear of Drinking. The two met up again in 2003 and named themselves Po' Girl. Klein said at the time that the new group offered her the opportunity to write and perform her own songs. Po' Girl recorded their last album in 2010, but the members' musical careers have continued to develop, either as soloists or in other bands. Once based in Vancouver, Po' Girl is now back in the Eastern cities of Toronto and Montreal. The current band lineup is Allison Russell (singer/multi-instrumentalist), Awna Teixeira (singer/multi-instrumentalist), Benny Sidelinger (multi-instrumentalist) and Mikey "Lightning" August. Musical style The style of music they perform has been called "urban roots", defined by band founding member Allison Russell as "rural music with urban lyrical content and appeal, typically played on old-timey instruments...defined in its early years...[as]...mostly folk- and country-influenced." The band's sound has been described as having a "bit more jazz and swing" than that of the Be Good Tanyas, and "with straightforward musicianship built around Klein and Russell’s intertwining vocals, Po’ Girl delivers nice, casual music that slowly grooves into the heart." Po' Girl's music has been compared with that of The Band, Hazel Dickens, Tracy Chapman, Natalie Merchant, Elizabeth Cotten and Norah Jones. It showcases melodies from instruments as diverse as banjo, clarinet, harmonica, dobro, accordion, and gutbucket bass. Recordings They released their self-titled debut album in 2003. One reviewer commented on the "folk-mountain fresh" vocals of Klein, the "sleepy clarinet" of Russell and similarities to The Cowboy Junkies and Norah Jones. Shortly after the release of the first album, the band added a new member, Diona Davies, who was known to Klein as a skilled fiddler. In 2004, they recorded and released their second album, Vagabond Lullabies, which included Davies (fiddle, piano and vocals), CR Avery, (hip hopper) from the trio Tons of Fun University, Roey Shemesh on bass and John Raham and Shelley Okepnak on drums. The album was positively received, with Sue Keogh of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) noting that "This is a sweet little gem showcasing some of the finest acoustic musicians Canada currently has to offer," and Mike Regenstreif in Sing Out! writing that "Hip hop poet