Mighty Love
Dark Country, 2022
8/10
The husband and wife duo of Andrew Stern and Laura Arias, as 3 Pairs Of Boots the duo bring country, rock and folk together in a way that might remind you of Fleetwood Mac, Shania Twain or even The Byrds.
“Leap Of Faith” opens the listen with a booming and soaring blast of country-rock that highlights Arias’ powerful and pretty pipes alongside well timed keys, and the title track follows with a hint of twang in the intimate and expressive climate that bounces with a charming dreaminess.
Halfway through, the bright melodies of “Just Call Him Love” reside pretty close to pop territory amid the lively bass lines, while “Labor Day” emits a bit ruggedness amid the breezy folk-rock.
Closer to the end, the piano balladry of “Ghosted” builds into a lush and precisely layered album highlight, and “The Server” exits the listen with fluid and timeless pop-rock song craft that illustrates much skill.
This is the 3rd album from the pair, and they bring in drummer Randy Cooke and Dave Cohen on keys, as well as a string quartet, and it makes for a heartfelt, technically proficient and instantly memorable body of work.
Travels well with: Stacy Antonel- Always The Outsider; Mary Bragg- Violets As Camouflage