Nobody in a million years would ever have guessed that, lurking somewhere down on the South coast of England, would be a band featuring two female singers and a male singer-guitarist, who would be trhe best thing you've heard since that wondrous American group, The Roches, knocked you for six, back in the seventies. Yet, this is exactly what's happened - and this 7-tracker is the result. Welcome to Emily Bryant, Megan Clifton and Nelson Day - The Beautiful Word!!
Opening with "Golden Box", they immediately set the scene to perfection, with gorgeously strong dual vocals that waft and soar, angelic harmonies that are blissful, an arrangement that cascades like a waterfall in slow motion, all over a backing of smoothly strummed acoustic guitar and lilting xylophone - and it's just amazing. "Let's Get Old" is equally magical only here the vocals tell more of a tale, letting their thoughts on growing old together, captivate and delight, the vocals twisting an turning along avenues of expression that maybe don't have the same atmosphere as the previous track, but are every bit as heartwarming, the arrangement this time atouch more exotic. "Lying" returns to Roches territory, only tis time more early eighties than late seventies, as the vocals flow over slightly lurching drums, gentle bass and delicate steel guitar, as the angelic lead vocals and inspiriational choruses, provide an atmopshere that is a mix of sadness, wonder and yearning, all positively evocative. "What It Seems" is more jazzy as thoughts of smoky clubs and long-legged females draped over pianos are paramount, the strong and strident lead vocal soaring over the melodic flow from the traditionally jazzy piano, bass, percussion and guitar, trademark harmonies, even to the extent of being deliberately a notch down from normal, in terms of its Roches-esque key structures, also coming into play. Strong and powerful in a gloriously fragrant way. "For Georgie Brown" features Nelson on vocals with our females on understated backing vocals as a soulful slice of folky jazz comes into play, a bit Ritchie Havens here, a bit Jonathan Edwards there, but strongly driven and neatly executed. "Spider Song" comes in on tinkling sylophone and delicately played acoustic guitar chords as the smoothly smoky lead vocals waft in, the addition of the slightly higher register harmony vocals, just exquisite, as the atmosphere returns to blissful and the song flows forward, the combination of the two female voices just spellbinding on a song that is simply divine. The EP ends with "Sea Shanty", which is actually a truly gorgeous, blissful ballad with vocal perfection and a song that cries, the voices sounding so strong and yet so delicate at the same time.
Overall, this is one 25 carat gem of a CD - the most splendid thing to happen to female vocals in aeons and something that surely can't fail to move even the most hard-hearted of individuals, and cause the rest of us to spend the suration - and many to come - with a lump in the throat, a smile on the face and an all-pervading sense of wonderment, from start to finish.