April Wine, currently one of Canada’s most celebrated acts, has until now remained a relatively unknown quantity in America. But that situation may begin to change in the months following stateside release of The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazy, which has already topped charts north of the border.

While Goin’ Crazy features several lovely, harmonic ballads, the lion’s share of the tracks find April Wine putting the accent on energy. Unlike much of its “heavy rock” competition, however, this outfit rarely turns up the juice without good reason, and the power penchant almost never seems like a mask for a dearth of musical ideas or ability.

The worthwhile contributions of his cohorts notwithstanding, Myles Goodwyn deserves the bulk of the credit for the album’s merits. Besides playing guitar and piano and serving up versatile, self-assured lead vocals, he wrote or co-wrote the entire crop of likably melodic songs. He also handled the sparkling production.

Despite all of the above, April Wine still has a ways to go before it can give such groups as Fleetwood Mac and the Starship a run for their money. Like many bands of its ilk, the Canadian crew often comes up short in the lyrics department; in addition, April Wine’s style now proves considerably less distinctive than those of its most successful progenitors.

Still, the group already deserves attention. Indeed, if its members continue to grow, they may someday command it.