By Henry Lipput
On their new album, Tarred & Feathered, Cherry Head, Cherry Heart (the duo of Naomi Lowe & Andy Johnson) create male and female dialogues and contrasting points of view that recall the best of The Beautiful South (but without the politics). The Beautiful South wrote terrific songs and were a great band both on record and live. I saw them perform at a small club in Philadelphia not long after their first album came out. They were brilliant.
The Beautiful South sound, especially the vocals of Paul Heaton and his original female counterpart Briana Corrigan, can be heard in Tarred & Feathered’s single, the very poppy "Road To Rome." But the full package is there in the terrific "Party Seven," a song with a perfect Heaton vibe and a contrasting vocal from Lowe telling her side of the story (it's as if "For No One" had someone like Marianne Faithful singing about what had happened when she left the McCartney character).
It's not surprising that there's so much Beautiful South DNA in the songs and the singing of Cherry Head, Cherry Heart. The band are former members of The Southmartins, a British Beautiful South tribute band (before forming The Beautiful South, Heaton was in The Housemartins).
Tarred & Feathered is a concept album of sorts with an overture, "The Bitter Suite," that reminds me of the arrangements Paul Buckmaster made for Elton John's songs, especially for 1971's Friends soundtrack. The songs on Tarred & Feathered are tied together with a loose narrative about a couple on the run from the real world as they reflect on their relationship.
"Brambles Farm" is a lovely English Folk-style song with a gorgeous vocal. "Lake Geneva" reminds me of the great Kirsty MacColl’s "Walking Down Madison" right down to the rap break by Trix-C in the middle of the song.
"So Much More" and "How Much Longer" return to The Beautiful South template and are two more outstanding songs containing male / female dialogues and catchy melodies. But it's clear with these songs and this album that Cherry Head, Cherry Heart have made this sound their own.
Tarred & Feathered is out now on Shoebox Records.
No comments :
Post a Comment