Written
by Daniel Boyer, posted by blog admin
Phil
Barry and Sarah Fuerst, under the banner of Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, has
released a well-received self-titled debut EP and Songs for Mixed Company marks
their first foray into full length album territory. The ten song collection is
nominally labeled as folk, but such labels only tell some of the story. The duo
also liberally indulge and experiment with other textures, primarily Americana
rock, and their music makes frequent use of additional elements like organ and,
even more improbably, Mellotron. Despite this occasional stretching of
stylistic boundaries, however, the subject matter remains resolutely tethered
to earth and falls well within the wheelhouse of the folk or singer/songwriter
style. The two musical elements ranking most important on this release are,
easily, the confluence of Barry and Fuerst’s voices working alongside Barry’s
stellar guitar work, but organ player Mike Lynch certainly offers a lot along
the way thanks to the measured and colorful touches he adds to the mix.
“Let’s
Be Friends” introduces us to the duo’s first full length in superb fashion.
Phil Barry’s acoustic guitar work doesn’t spark with a lot of pyrotechnic
flash; instead, we clearly hear that his playing focus is resolutely locked on
summoning up understated lyricism that complements the vocals and lyrical
content. The guitar’s mood dovetails quite well into the lyrical subject
matter. “Miss You” does a memorable job of revisiting some popular classic
country music tropes without ever lapsing into imitation and these reference
points make for a richer music experience. There’s a little steel guitar tossed
in for good measure, but in the manner of writers and performers who understand
a little goes a long way, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot never give us too much of a
good thing. The Mellotron is used to great effect on the song “Can’t Be Trusted”
and it thickens the melancholy mood of this character piece largely dominated
by Barry’s vocals. Fuerst is never far away, however, and her second voice
added to the mix gives the song an even more meditative air.
“Sad
Song” brings a number of musical elements to bear. This is, arguably, the album’s
most “arranged” number and the presence of keyboards and strings in the song
gives it a quasi-orchestral feel missing from much of the album. “Year of the Monkey”
has a stately mid-tempo pace punctuated by steady drumming and gently simmering
organ lines in the background. Barry and Fuerst deliver another impressive
co-vocal with Barry’s voice leading the way, but make no mistake – these tunes
would be far less effective without Fuerst’s voice to balance out his own.
Their cover of Bruce Springsteen’s 1984 hit “I’m on Fire” isn’t an entirely
outside the box selection – many artists have turned their attentions to this
tune – but Thunderbolt and Lightfoot own this underrated Springsteen classic in
a way earlier covers do not. The understatement they bring to this song about
desire is admirable and the song’s mood fits in perfectly with the other nine
songs on this release. Songs for Mixed Company is a resounding success for this
duo and further solidifies that they are one of the pre-eminent Americana/folk
outfits working today.
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