Red Molly
Album: The Red Album
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 13
Website: http://www.redmolly.com

Red Molly's another of those well-established female trios who've been around for quite a number of years (in this case ten!) and yet have completely evaded my radar hitherto - Lord knows why, cos they're real good! It turns out they are after all named after the character in the Richard Thompson classic 1952 Vincent Black Lightning (and no, before you ask, they didn't even have a Molly in their lineup until Molly Venter replaced founder member Carolann Solebello between albums one and two!), but still, why it's taken them until now, on this their third CD, to get round to recording a version of this number, well that's a trifle puzzling too. But no matter - here it is, and a mighty fine dobro-led bluegrass-flavoured cover it is too: inspired by band member Abbie Gardner's hearing of Del McCoury's version), Red Molly's take is well paced, unhurried and not too frantic, with less concern for instrumental trickery than for the storytelling (not that there's any lack of instrumental brilliance, it's just that it's kept sensibly in proportion here).

A similar regard for pacing (and dynamics) is held by the girls for the S&G hit Homeward Bound, which receives a pretty but earnest, beautiful but thoughtful reading. They also tackle songs by Marc Erelli (Pretend), A.J. Roach (Clinch River Blues) and Darrell & Wayne Scott (With A Memory Like Mine), and very ably too in all cases. But Red Molly is by no means just a crack covers band - they've considerable writing talent within their ranks too. Their strength as writers is that they write with the special qualities of their combined and individual voices in mind, paying particular regard to the multifarious vocal harmony possibilities which their versatility enables them to conjure in a variety of idioms from Americana and country, bluegrass, folk, gospel and blues and most points in between.

In addition to their splendid vocal work, Abbie's a brilliant dobro player, while Molly on guitar and Laurie on bass are no less than dab hands, but they're also joined on this new record by producer Ken Coomer as well as Craig Akin, Adam Ollendorff and Herb Gardner (neat trombone solo on Pretend!), who together flesh out the texture fortuitously when required. Still, it's those wonderful vocal harmonies that are Red Molly's forte and stock-in-trade, proving especially captivating on standout cuts like Abbie's mournful honky-tonk pedal-steel-backed You Don't Have The Heart For It, and her co-write with Jonathan Byrd When It's All Wrong (a masterpiece of brooding, pounding sexiness), and - most heart-rendingly intimate of all, Molly's delicate composition Sing To Me, which went straight onto repeat play before I could finish the rest of the disc! It's a pity that the girls' vocal aren't given more a cappella showcase possibilities - only the brief closer Copper Ponies. But that I guess is my only real carp with this abnormally satisfying record. Oh dear, I can sense it's CD-backtrack/catch-up time again - can't really wait for their UK & Ireland tour in October!

David Kidman