At the mouth of the open sea, there are three ships on the horizon one of them is on fire. Black plumes of smoke rise from its charring masts like a mountain's shadow across the dawn. Perhaps those on board are tossing their lean prayers to the wind like holy matchsticks before thrusting their bodies overboard into the furiously silent ocean. Perhaps several hundred miles away a girl brushes a lock of hair from her eyes as she regards the indolent waters. Perhaps she turns, slowly making her way back to a house where the windows are always broken, away from a blackening horizon, towards the hurt of a dawn through a curtain.

These are The Early Widows.

• "a troubadour on the upswing" - Globe and Mail

• "as easy as it might be to characterize Rutledge's songs as literary in style, it might be better to say that they are thoughtful, careful and restrained, but with a sense of something deeper" - Vue Magazine

• "country-sounding songs that can break even the toughest heart of stone" - Americana UK

• "As close to perfection as Mallory to the top of Everest...one of the greatest writers working today" - Maverick (UK)

• "The songs circle the evanescence of experience, the details of which pile up in the songs like litter at the end of a windy alley..it’s lovely." - Independent on Sunday (UK)

• Winner - Best Singer/Wongwriter in Toronto, 2006 - Now Magazine

• "The best country songs are based on a killer story, and, man, does Justin Rutledge know how to tell 'em...it's impossible not to be distracted by the meticulously detailed snapshots of everyday people's lives that Rutledge outlines in each song. NNNN. Critic's Pick." - Now Magazine

• "It seems inevitable that sooner or later, Justin Rutledge will join the upper ranks of the alt-country pantheon. Whether it happens with his current album, or it takes a while longer, his destiny is to stand alongside Lucinda, Emmylou, Willie and Steve Earle as one of the great, down-to-earth, country-based singer/songwriters of his day." - EYE Magazine

• "The Devil on a Bench in Stanley Park is a masterfully conceived, elegantly constructed tour do force, a transporting sequence of haunted and haunting songs...This is the breakout effort of a powerful new artist. 4 Stars." - Toronto Star

• "[The Devil...] ranks amongst the very best of the year." - Exclaim Magazine "The Americana scene has another great release to celebrate in the shape of this Toronto songwriter's debut. A work of aching beautyΙit signals the arrival of a major talent..." - The Independent (UK)

• "Justin Rutledge has just written a debut album that recalls all the best spine tingling, emotionally sucker-punching moments of Ryan Adams' 'Heartbreaker'." - Paul McNamee, New Music Express (UK)

• "Rutledge is a master of gothic understatement.This wintry debut is slyly addictive." - Uncut (UK)

• "Fifty minutes of stately beauty... some of the best country songs you'll ever hear, and a voice of rare expression." - Comes With a Smile, UK website

• "It's hard not to fall in love with Justin's tearstained, emotional voice But what makes this album indispensable is the sheer quality of just about everything here." - Rockzilla World website

• "There was only one Gram Parsons. And there's only one Justin Rutledge." - Independent on Sunday