Strange Lights - Poe

Hear The Track Here

Another request from the blog now, singer/writer duo Lonny Roth and Deb Zazzo are from deepest Colorado where, believe it or not they have a surprisingly healthy live music scene. Mind you, been a while since I was last there and God knows whether that's changed along with everything else. Anyway, Lonny and Deb seem to be on the serious side of songwriting, at least judging by their list of influences. Anyone who appreciates the likes of the Smashing Pumpkins is alright in my book, a most under appreciated rock pop group. Of course it won't save Lonny or Deb from the slings of outrageous Gilmore if their own music isn't right up there because it's all well and good setting yourself a high bar, but you need to hope you can reach it.

Know what I mean?

Mind you, Lonny did mention that the album this is from, Light Bright, was produced and mastered by 'Grammy winner David Glasser' and it certainly sounds like it. So does this then count as an unsigned track? Hell yeah, a lot of the tracks I review are put together in this fashion, you use what you can get your hands on right? What comes out the other side, at least on Poe the only track I've so far heard, is a bit of a surprise. Here I was expecting a usual romp around American pop rock country and instead I get transported to the musical fields of Albion (Ed: England) circa 1970 because this is a very, very close relation to the stuff done by Steeleye Span and Fairport Convention. that, btw, is a very good thing.

Structurally and tonally this also has more to do with folk rock than anything else, that understatement in the vocals - so predominant in folk rock - the soft jingle of the guitars; all give this a surprisingly English feel. Ultimately though, after having spent some considerable time with the track, I finally decided that it's a very agreeable and pleasant listen but it doesn't inspire me to go into the streets and proclaim the second coming of the Folk revival. No matter because this is just one track and Lonny and Deb are savvy enough to have at least one monster track under their belts, so maybe we should try another one. In the meantime if you like a relaxed almost acoustic outing, this will do the trick.

Recommended folkie rock.