Girlyman
Album: Supernova
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 13
Website: http://www.girlyman.com

Harmony singing is making a comeback! Having been very popular in the mid-sixties [think Mamas and Papas, The Association and Fifth Dimension] it has recently undergone a revival, the leading exponents being the Fleet Foxes. However, there is one exceptionally fine three-part harmony folk-pop band who may have escaped your notice -they are Girlyman and their latest album is "Supernova". And it's great.

Girlyman are Ty [Tylan Greenstein], Doris [Muramatsu], Nate [Nathan D.Borofsky] and JJ [Jones]. Ty, Doris and Nate have been singing and playing together since 2003, initially in New York but now in Atlanta, Georgia. They are the three singers whose voices blend effortlessly in close harmony. Drummer JJ joined the band in 2010, having previously been in the band Po' Girl.

If their three-part harmony vocals are their trademark, they are also gifted songwriters and musicians. Between them they play acoustic guitar, mandolin, banjo, baritone guitar, bass, djembe and percussion.

"Supernova" is Girlyman's sixth album, the previous five being " Remember Who I Am "; "Little Star" ;"Joyful Sign" "Somewhere Different Now [live] " and 2009's "Everything's Easy".

It's fair to say that every track on "Supernova" is a winner. It glides seamlessly from one great performance into another, from opener "Nothing Left" to closer "Best I Could". It's all so good that it seems invidious to single out any individual track but, if pushed, I would choose the beautiful "St.Augustine " with its layered harmonies and gorgeous melody and "Michelangelo" with its shimmering guitar and heartfelt lyrics [Your mum and your dad never knew what they had, so how could you know you were Michelangelo].

Well-respected American journal The Village Voice described Girlyman as "really good, really unexpected and really different ". I would agree with all of those sentiments and would add that this is a superb album which just gets better and better with every play. As you might have detected, it comes highly recommended.

Peter Cowley