Only a week ago I wrote I only had one album off the best-of-year lists I published; yet within a couple of days I had gotten myself a second one, Classic Rock's #18, Bloom. I became aware of Larkin Poe a few years ago when I heard the Lovell sisters (Megan & Rebecca) sing backing vocals on an album by ZZ Top's Billy Gibbons. I liked their singing and made a mental note to check out their own work. The two young ladies (still in their early 30's despite being around for 15 years) are Larkin Poe, although there are obviously more musicians involved in recording and touring. They apparently named the band after their great-great-great-great-grandfather, a cousin of Edgar Allan Poe. Music-wise, at least on this album, they don't sound as country as I was expecting; if I was looking for just one word to describe the band's sound, "rootsy" would do much better. It's mostly Southern rock full of soulful vocals, hard rock riffs and bluesy slide guitar while the country element mostly comes out in the ballads, especially when the girls harmonize as in the closing "Bloom Again". Other country-ish ballads include "Little Bit", "Easy Love Pt. 2", and "You Are The River". Then there are some upbeat numbers halfway between gritty blues and commercial country pop: "Mockingbird", "Easy Love Pt. 1", "Fool Outta Me" - the instrumental part rocks, but Rebecca's vocals kind of remind me of Shania Twain - not a bad thing if you're chasing success, but I like her singing best in the grittier, bluesy hard rock, numbers ("Bluephoria", "Nowhere Fast", "If God Is A Woman", "Pearls") with their Beth Hart-meets-the-White Stripes vibe. Had it stayed on this course, this album would have gotten an extra star from me, but as it is there's a wider appeal to it. The production is a bit too polished for my taste, presumeably making it more appealing to commercial country radio, but I can't fault the passionate playing - I especially like the alternating loud sound of the electric guitar and more expressive and soulful slide and pedal steel. In the end, this record ticks a lot of boxes: the lyrics reflect on matters of love and life in general with maturity and insight, and the music will appeal equally to fans of rock, country, and blues. It’s hard to imagine any listener who enjoys those genres feeling let down.
**** for Easy Love Pt. 1, Bluephoria, Easy Love Pt. 2, Nowhere Fast, If God Is A Woman, Pearls, You Are The River
*** for Mockingbird, Little Bit, Fool Outta Me, Bloom Again
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