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Current mood:  chipper
Red Clay Halo takes its name from a Gillian Welch song and musically the four women (West Australian born and reared, now British based, Emily Barker on guitar with her British companions on violin, cello and accordion) capture something of the desolation and space of Welch's work without appearing to be transplanted Americana or finger-in-the-ear traditional British Isles folk. Recorded live over four days in a barn in Norfolk, England, Despite the Snow uses elements of both styles -- and even includes a musical saw, if things weren't rustic enough -- as Barker creates an intimate song cycle celebrating the sublime glory of falling in love. From the longing in the opener Nostalgia (which can be heard on the BAFTA-nominated soundtrack to Wallander), most of the songs are filled with a wide-eyed take on love. An earthier male perspective is added via two outside contributions: the speedy, brief instrumental I It's All Night Long, which wordlessly reinforces the dancing-sex metaphor, while Mike Waterson's Bright Phoebus heads south of the belly button with its none too subtle verse about a cock crowing for the first time. Rather than distract, these tracks add a welcome physical dimension to this sweet tribute to the greatest of all human conditions.
4/5 Polly Coufos, The Australian
8:32 AM
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