Larkin Poe. Kin. RH Music.

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Over successive releases there’ve been clues here and there that the Larkin Poe sisters duo ( Rebecca and Megan Lovell) have had a bit of a yearning to cast aside their acoustic beginnings and rock out somewhat. Their set of seasonal themed EPs back in 2011 were primarily acoustic but there were hints of Fleetwood Mac AOR in songs like Fall From The Trees. Thick As Thieves featured some rocking guitar and even a riff on Celebrate while our review of their album recorded with Thom Hell, The Sound Of The Ocean Soundremarked on their pursuit of what we thought was a bland stream of rock tailored for daytime radio.

Reviews of their recent July gigs remarked on a rockier approach and this is reflected here. Gone for the most part are the country tinged acoustic songs, instead the emphasis is on Megan’s bluesy lap steel playing amid a highly percussive beat with the sisters’ vocals tougher and more aggressive. The problem is that in the main the songs are dull and repetitive, rock fodder which fails to nourish. There are moments which succeed with the opening song Jailbreak kicking off like something from Tom Petty while the lap steel growls with menace. Stubborn Love floats aloft on sleek guitar lines and the sisters’ excellent harmonising as they briefly abandon their “rock chick” voices and they repeat this on the very fine Crown Of Fire which harks back to earlier recordings. Jesse has all the elements required to make it a live favourite, soaring guitar work and a murder ballad storyline but here the kinks, which would give it some authenticity, are ironed out.

Unfortunately these songs are surrounded by the workmanlike rifferrama of songs like Don’t and Sugar High while Elephant is simply embarrassing. It remains to be seen if they pursue this route or having got the rock fever (at least there are no cowbells) out of their system they return to a simpler approach.

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The Jamie Freeman Agreement. 100 Miles From Town. Union Music Store.

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Nudging the years end this album probably does itself a disservice as it hasn’t enough time to bed itself in the memory of all of those top ten compilers who are right now beavering away at their lists (present company included). A pity as it’s a strong contender for inclusion with some sublime moments especially for those who like melodic Americana laced with powerful guitar playing and handsome harmony singing.
Freeman (on lead vocals, acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin, drums, organ and piano and brother of Hobbit actor, Martin, trivia fans, ) and the Agreement (Abigail Downs, backing vocals, Jessica Spengler, bass guitar, Jonathan Hirsch, electric guitar, banjo and Dobro and Joe Ellis on drums) are a tight unit, well able to conjure up a muscular melody as on Scrabble From Afghanistan which drives along with a powerful beat as the guitars chime gloriously. It’s Your Lucky Day is another guitar driven corker , this time adding a jangled haze to the mix while the venerable B.J. Cole guests on pedal steel for the soaring Steel Away which is a contender for song of the year. Joyful in its delivery despite its subject matter of a woman wanting out of a relationship it captures the spirit of pioneers in country rock such as Gene Clark and latter exponents like The Jayhawks. Swirling organ, chunky guitar and Cole’s ethereal steel playing coalesce as if under a California sun while Freeman is joined by co writer, the very fine Brandy Zdan (of Twilight Hotel) on vocals with the pair of them in perfect harmony, a superb song. Alas Zdan’s appearance here is her sole contribution to the album but Freeman is well served on the other cuts by Rachel Davies who adds some tremendous harmony and backing vocals throughout the album. Steel Away might be sublime Americana music but for much of the album Freeman steers a course between America and his homeland. The opening song, The Knight is graced by the presence of Larkin Poe sisters, Megan and Rebecca Lovell on lap steel and mandolin but the lyrics and driving mandolin are evidence of the influence of Richard Thompson. Even stranger, Key of Me harks back to the mysticism and power chords of Pete Townshend back when he was trying to capture the “vibrations” of music on his ill fated Lifehouse project. Nevertheless Key Of Me is a powerful song with some fine gospel like wailing from Davies. Elsewhere Freeman utilises English folk song with Message From Limbo a simple acoustic guitar led rendition of a poem by Amy Tudor (who also wrote Scrabble From Afghanistan) but there is a return to Americana sounds with Hey Mama sounding like an old Gospel song although it addresses a modern issue while I’ll Never Be The Same Again has some rippling mandolin along with the guitar chimes. So far Freeman has managed to straddle the Anglo/American divide but towards the end he dives in headfirst with the rockabilly strut of Two Sugar Baby which features some fine picking from Richard Smith and harmonies from The Good Lovelies and it will set your brothel creepers a tappin’. Annie Ran Away winds up the album with a windswept Ghost Riders in the Sky type pitch, heavenly harmonies included. Finally, and perhaps inspired by Zdan’s dark musings with Twilight Hotel, Freeman offers a blood soaked tale in Hey Hey Indianna! which is American Gothic in delivery and explains the album art.

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Old Friends

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Here’s three albums we’ve received for artists who have previously graced Blabber’n’Smoke.

Larkin Poe & Thom Hell The Sound of the Ocean Sound

Larkin Poe have over the course of five E.P.s gradually transformed from a bluegrass outfit into a slinkier, slightly smouldering country and soul tinged folk rock band. The Sound of the Ocean Sound is their first full length release and here they’ve teamed up with Norwegian, Thom Hell, with the album recorded in two sessions set a year apart. Hell and the two Lovell sisters are accompanied by bass, drums and organ achieving a full band sound while the production sets out to achieve a glossy radio friendly sound that is aided and abetted by some of the writing. The soaring harmonies and driving beat of P.S. I Love You seem tailor made for the airwaves although Hell’s falsetto cries let the song down somewhat. Leave has a touch of the Nicks/Buckingham era Fleetwood Mac about it while the opening song I Belong To Love opens with a nice bass thump before some fine sounding resophonic guitar licks remind you that Larkin Poe have their roots in country. It’s a pity therefore that the remainder of the album pursues the route that the Lovell sisters seem determined to follow, a relatively innocuous FM sound that would sit well on daytime Radio Two.

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Rebecca Pronsky. Only Daughter

Rebecca Pronsky on Only Daughter is another one who has moved on from a countrified sound to a fuller fleshed rock approach. Again some of this approaches the sound of Fleetwood Mac circa Rumours (as on Honesty) however Pronsky’s powerful voice and her husband, guitarist Rich Bennet’s production ensure that she remains her own woman. Bennet’s command of his guitar and the sounds he produces have a huge impact on the album with his best contribution coming on the layers that swoon throughout Pronsky’s cover of Mark Kozelek’s Glen Tipton. The ominous dark pounding Big Demands and the bustling opener Rise Up are powerful songs that engage the listener however Pronsky has her upbeat moments with the wonderful rippling guitar of Better That Way capturing a sense of innocence. A fine album and there’s an opportunity to catch Pronsky live as she appears in Glasgow at the Woodend Club on Wednesday 20th March.

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Rob Lutes. The Bravest Bird

Rob Lutes’ The Bravest Birds is our introduction to his studio work having only heard his fine live album recorded with long time collaborator, Rob MacDonald. MacDonald is on board here along with a selection from the cream of Montreal musicians. Live we thought Lutes came across in the tradition of American storytellers such as Townes Van Zandt. Studio bound he is less the folksinger and more the cosmopolitan blue-collar sage, a touch of Randy Newman, Tom Waits and even Springsteen peeking through the curtains at the back of the studio . Lutes has a great voice. Husky, reeking of experience, wise and learned, effortless for the most part. His performance on The Ithaca Waterfall is tremendous on what is a fine song, evocative and moving with some fine guitar interludes from MacDonald. MacDonald shines throughout with his sinuous playing evident from the opening The Ship That Sails Today. Things We Didn’t Choose is a song that reminds one of Bob Seger’s Night Moves, no bad thing indeed as Lutes captures a moment in time and the band imbue it with a fine sense of grandeur. Lutes repeats this on Glory, a powerful ballad that has the emotional draw of Mickey Newbury’s American Trilogy. Pick of the songs is Still Dark, a song that shimmers and shivers with a latent menace.

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Coyote Grace Now Take Flight.

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A Seattle based trio Coyote Grace began as a duo busking at the famous Pike Place Fish Market while more recently their profile was raised on several tours in the States supporting the Indigo Girls. Now Take Flight, their fifth album, certainly supports their claim to wider acclaim packed as it is with some fine playing and above all excellent songs. The trio (Joe Stevens, Ingrid Elizabeth and Michael Connolly) impress with some fantastic harmonies while Stevens and Elizabeth both have distinctive and attractive voices. The overall sound is not too far removed from the likes of Larkin Poe, Old Crow Medicine Show or indeed the Indigo Girls themselves. Acoustic based with plenty of frills in the shape of mandolin, banjo, ukulele, accordion and fiddle these are not country songs but a very pleasant set of intelligent songs that have a radio friendly approach that would please those whose idea of roots music is the Avett Brothers.
The main strength here however is in the songwriting. Stevens produces several gems including the delicate Flowers and the superb These Gray Days which captures perfectly the feel of winter malaise and which features some very impressive upright bass playing by Connolly. Elizabeth is no slouch in the songwriting stakes although she favours an earthier touch which is apparent in the bluesy stroll of Born Blind while she gets downright dirty on the slinky organ driven Kansas which manages to reference the Wizard of Oz on a tale of a groupie chasing her chosen star. Fact is all of these songs are great including a choice cover of Springsteen’s I’m On Fire. Well recommended.

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Larkin Poe Thick as Thieves.

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Following on from their four seasonal themed EP’s released in 2010-11 the Lovell sisters return with another EP, Thick As Thieves, (really a mini album with seven songs), that continues their route from bluegrass to a very listenable country and soul tinged folk rock. The addition of keyboards (by Will Robertson) adds an almost funky Little Feat shuffle while new guitarist Rick Lollar reinforces this with some fine playing. In conjunction with the Dobro and lap steel playing of sister Megan there is a more Southern feel to these songs than on the previous releases. Apart from the almost Dixieland On The Fritz (which features some quirky guitar licks from Lollar as well as soprano sax) the songs are rooted in the folk/country/pop idiom (which is as good a way of saying I’m not sure how to describe them). Nevertheless the opening duo of Fox and Play On are certainly very radio friendly with catchy hooks with the latter being particularly impressive. While Celebrate is a little too riff heavy the soul/rock groove of Love or Money is the must successful song here, the band lock down and Rebecca Lovell’s vocals are suitably sultry. The closing song, Russian Roulette is another success although it does seem to bear a debt to The Beatles’ Eleanor Rigby at times.
Overall the sound is that of a pair of accomplished singer songwriters edging towards the mainstream and it might dismay some who have enjoyed their live appearances which have tended to feature Rebecca’s voice and mandolin playing along with Megan’s very accomplished guitar playing. The good news then is that you can purchase a special edition of the disc which has a DVD of a concert they performed on Norway last year. With just long time drummer Chad Melton and guitarist Lollar it is stripped back and features several songs from the Seasons EPs as well as much of the newer material. Rebecca literally has to roll up her sleeves as for some reason the band wear medieval garb and her bell-bottom sleeve hides her mandolin. Despite a fairly static set of camera angles and far too much time spent on “atmospheric” close ups of the candles and carvings adorning this small hall it’s a fine capture of where they were at last year.
Larkin Poe are currently touring the UK, catch the remaining dates here.

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Larkin Poe : Fall/Winter

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The curiously named Larkin Poe were formed when the Lovell Sisters, a bluegrass based trio lost a member (who married and stepped away from the spotlight). The remaining pair, Rebecca and Megan regrouped, the band taking on the name of their great great great grandfather. With a rhythm section in tow their first endeavour has been a series of seasonal themed mini albums, the first pair, Spring and Summer released last year. Fall and Winter complete the set and are released just in time for their first UK tour.
With the sisters accompanied on both sets by Mike seal (guitar, piano), Daniel Kimbro (bass, banjo, baritone guitar) and Chad Melton (drums, percussion) there is precious little country picking on show here. Indeed, despite the fine Dobro and lap steel of Megan these songs are firmly set in a soft rock, almost Fleetwood Mac/Stevie Nicks milieu. At times this is successful, Memories the opening song on the Fall disc is a fine country rock workout while Fall From The Tree is an atmospheric AOR guitar dominated swoon.
The Winter disc wins out here although much of it continues in the same vein as the Fall album. Desert Dream, the opening song here showcases the sisters’ fine voices in a chilling setting (in keeping with the seasonal device) while Tree Like a Bird makes full use of the acoustic instruments, something many of the other songs neglect.
While the sisters are no doubt fine singers there is too much clutter on show here. It would be interesting to hear these songs unadorned and skeletal. Perhaps on their forthcoming tour they will shine with an opportunity to find out when they play The Ferry on Thursday 7th April.

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