Reviews
Artist: Larkin Poe
Album: Fall/Winter
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 6/7
Website: http://www.larkinpoe.com
I will review these together, as they were sent together; the two final instalments in the seasonally themed set of EPs from ex Lovell Sisters Larkin Poe. As well as vocals and songwriting credits, Rebecca and Megan Lovell can also claim the instrumental additions of contribute guitar, dobro, lapsteel, mandolin and ukulele, collectively; they really are incredibly talented musicians as well as singers and writers. Mike Seal on piano also adds a wonderful dimension to the music.
In terms of songwriting, the lyrics again would have the listener believe the girls are way beyond their years. Some of the songs are jointly written, others by just one girl. It is inreasingly obvious that one sister produces the bolder lyrics and the other the more mellow; I'll leave you to figure out which is which, though!
It is also noteworthy that the tone of the songs seems to fit the season to which the EP relates; certainly they call to mind Fall (or Autumn) and Winter. Classically trained as little girls, the two have said; "Ever since we were little girls, we've been awed by the power of a story well told-from children's books to fairytales. Before we were able to read, we hounded our parents for 'more stories!' and then, when at last we could; we began hounding the bookshelves," says Megan Lovell. "Now, nearly a decade later, at ages 19 and 20, we're still doing the same thing. We're still on the search for stories, and striving to learn how to tell them well. Now, we not only hound bookshelves, but also the people surrounding us," says Rebecca Lovell. "We search for stories of human experience, of love won and love lost, and of the million mundane things that make up everyday life." The book, lyric and music lover in me is in no doubt that as Spring has made its way to Winter in the form of these EPs, their search has been a fruitful one, the results certain to put a smile on the face of all who listen.
The girls are touring the UK in April…book yourself a ticket and celebrate the arrival of Spring and of Larkin Poe to our shores.
Helen Mitchell