Written
by David Shouse, posted by blog admin
Minnesota
produces another winner with the collaboration between singer/songwriters Phil
Barry and Sarah Fuersst dubbed Thunderbolt and Lightfoot. Their self-titled EP
heralded the arrival of a duo with great chemistry and the good sense to
involve the right collaborators, but their first full length album Songs for
Mixed Company realizes that promise and much, much more. The album’s ten songs
plumb deep into the Americana tradition of folk, country, and even a smattering
of blues, but the duo reaches beyond the boundaries of those forms by
incorporating instruments like organ and even Mellotron to accentuate their
musical vision. These two experienced hands, despite naming their project after
an irreverent 1970’s cinema classic, are anything but tongue in cheek. The
songwriting deals with eternal human emotions – fear, loss, yearning, and love
all make an appearance here and they make these emotions matter in narratives
reaching deep into human experience.
They
begin things on a darker note with the track “Let’s Br Friends”. On the surface
of it, the songwriting seems to be covering familiar territory, but the
songwriting talents Barry and Fuerst bring to bear explore facets of experience
going beyond the typical cursory treatment common to these kind of songs. There’s
beautifully simple poetry laced through these lyrics and Barry’s voice
seamlessly comes together with Fuerst in an aching vocal marriage. The retro
country music beauty of “Miss Me” has an elegance that few, if any, working in
the genre today even dare aspire to and it never sounds like a pose. The
scattered steel guitar licks color in the spaces between acoustic guitar chords
and the drumming underlines everything with a strong foundation. Barry and
Fuerst conjure up that “weepy” quality distinguishing many classic country cuts
without ever sounding forced or overwrought. The character piece “Can’t Be
Trusted” paints the darkest musical picture yet on Songs for Mixed Company, but it is handled with such dramatic
deftness that it draws listeners in and never drags them down.. The crystalline
guitar lines and sensitive vocal treatment cut against the sharply observed
character delineation present in the lyrics. Barry sings this song without a
hint of irony and it will have a chilling effect on many who hear it.
The
steady stomp and match of “Year of the Monkey” seems a little bit simple, but
Thunderbolt and Lightfoot show the keen ear for adding tempered crescendos and
Mike Lynch’s artful turns on organ. It’s, arguably, one of the album’s
strongest tunes lyrically, especially on the song’s chorus where the
arrangement, text, and vocal performances come together in an undeniably
powerful away. “Sweetest Baby” has a nice breezy air despite the struggle and
longing running through its lyric – it’s that effortless lift summoned by the
drumming and Mike Lynch’s whispery organ flourishes refuse to let the song’s
melancholy take over entirely. There’s a light blues influence meeting the folk
on the last song “Dearly Beloved”, but there’s also some endearing humor
propping up the lyric rather than keeping a stone face throughout. It’s an appropriately
playful ending to an album that’s usually anything but, but Songs for Mixed
Company definitely proves this duo has real creative legs and is building
something that may last for years to come.
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