Reviews

The Lost Notes
Album: Live At Symphony Hall
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 18
Website: https://www.thelostnotes.co.uk

The past few years have seen Birmingham's The Lost Notes ride an ever-swelling wave from singing at open mic sessions to selling out the Jennifer Blackwell Performance Space at the city's prestigious Symphony Hall. And it here that, on Feb 4, they recorded this album, capturing the warmth, energy, musical diversity, wit and finesse of their celebrated live shows. The regular full band line-up of Ben Mills (vocals, guitar, harmonica, trumpet, piano), Oli Jobes (vocals, guitar), Lucy Mills (vocals, ukulele), Max Tomlinson (drums) and Pete Churchill (double bass, accordion) was augmented on some numbers by acclaimed jazz pianist Piera Onacko, Rebecca and Simon from opening act The Rosellys on banjo and fiddle and the massed voices of The Choir With No Name.

Mixing material from their three albums alongside songs as yet to get a studio treatment, it opens with familiar set favourite 'Holdin'On', starting with a slow strummed guitar before breaking out into an up-tempo flurry guaranteed to get the crowd roused. 'Whisky For Breakfast' takes thing in a slower, bluesier direction with Ben on harmonica before 'Don't Try It On Me' showcases their harmonies and Americana colours. Nudging seven minutes, Lucy on lead, 'Done With The Waiting' with its Anadalcuian guitar intro and swaying Latin jazzed urgency marks the first piano solo showcase appearance by Onacko before Oli takes over for the acoustic waltzing folksiness of his own 'A Fool Once Told Me'.

Oli again on vocals, the first of the 'new' songs comes with the fingerpicked 'Head Over Heels', another folksy track, followed by the second with Lucy on the smokey jazz bar piano blues of her self-penned 'Heartache'.

Returning to familiar ground, the CWNN joins proceedings for the sha la la la folk pop of the carpe diem 'Slow Down' with its unaccompanied refrain before kicking the pace back up with the swaggering, trumped-coloured country romping deranged killer number 'Wildman' showcasing Churchill's double bass. .Audience whoops welcome another set favourite with Simon Roselly joining on fiddle for the bluegrassy galloping 'Run Like A River', a tale of an outlaw on the run after shooting his unfaithful wife and her lover before committing suicide.

Switching the mood comes the fingerpicked guitar and close harmonies of the glorious falsetto vocals and cascading chords of 'Pieces Of A Star', followed by another highlight staple with Ben on peak form for the building bluesy resigned cheating song ballad 'God Loves A Sinner' with is clever wordplay lyrics. It's back to piano for another new number, Ben on lead for the slow and melancholic, gradually swelling 'We Don't Need Another Love Song', Lucy showcasing on the addictive toxic relationship number 'Mine Is The Heart' with its melodic and thematic echoes of 'Diamonds & Rust'.

Churchill's bass get prominence for the jazzed piano boogie of 'Hey Maloney' with its call and response vocals, another new number the lyrics of which (having been mentioned in 'Run Like A River') make the title of their last album, 'Good Luck Shoes', the focus of the refrain. That album's the source of the penultimate wistfully anthemic front porch country ballad 'No Place Like Home' with its resonant fingerpicked guitar, Onako, The Rosellys and the CWNN returning to the stage for the rousing audience handclapper, all join in seven-minute staple closer 'Take My Hand'. Those who were at the show will be disappointed that 'All At Sea', 'I Got Time', actual closer 'Run Free Right Now' and the encore, 'Green Grass' didn't make the album but that's a bit like a glutton complaining the feast didn't have enough cream cakes. With a new studio album lined up before the year ends, it's surely only a matter of time before they're back to sell out signs on the main stage too.

Mike Davies

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