The Carrivick Sisters
Album: Over The Edge
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 12
Website: http://www.thecarrivicksisters.co.uk

One of the things I really love about being a music journalist is getting the chance to plot the development of musicians as they progress on their personal and musical journeys. Frighteningly "Over The Edge" is album number five for the highly prolific Carrivick Sisters who are still of an age when many artists are still contemplating their debuts.

Laura & Charlotte have continued to develop their sound, on this album that process is aided by the duo being responsible for eleven of the twelve songs and tunes contained within, the exception being the traditional song, "Pretty Fair Damsel", one of those songs that seems to criss cross the Atlantic. The girls write both solo and as a unit with the album having the odd instrumental, to give the sounds and songs more definition.

Similarly the Carrivick Sisters have been remarkably astute in their use of guest artists across the album with appearances from Tom Sweeney, Angus Lyon and Blair Dunlop, who appears to have found a predilection for appearing with female, old timey/bluegrass duos.

Whilst bluegrass has always featured the ideas of movement and travel, Charlotte and Laura seem to have taken that more to the hearts on "Over The Edge" and I wasn't surprised to discover more of this album was written whilst out on the road touring, not just in the UK, but further afield as well. That said, my personal favourite on the album, "Lady Howard" draws on one of Dartmoor's darker legends and also provides the inspiration for the album cover.

There is more of an old timey feel to "Over The Edge", but it still retains an English feel, which I think comes through more on the lyric. Much of the inspiration for the songs, like the title track, comes from both their regional history and personal experience, the resulting fusion really does have a deep and delightful appeal. This is an album that makes good use of shade, from deep and dark to light and joyous and pretty much ever point in between. The Carrivicks continue to deliver albums that keep them very much on my must listen to radar and should be a very large, attention grabbing blip on yours.

Neil King