The Wandering Hearts
Cooking Vinyl, 2021
9/10
Listen to The Wandering Hearts
The UK outfit The Wandering Hearts made quite an impression with their debut album, Wild Silence, and this self-titled follow up is certainly likely to make a dent, too, as their 3 part harmonies and very articulate wordplay guide these folk/Americana gems.
“Hammer Falls” starts the listen with warm, thumping Americana, where dreamy backing vocals are quite pretty but also a bit rugged, and it isn’t long until the more firm approach of “Over Your Body” offers rich vocal harmonies amid the highly melodic backdrop of lovely folksy sounds.
Further into the affair, “Gold” offers a soulful glimpse into the trio’s vision, which quickly builds into a lively, rootsy rocker, while “Dolores”, a song about Dolores O’Riordan of The Cranberries, trims the pace back with gorgeous electric guitar and soft, stirring singing that unfolds with a poetic demeanor. “Never Too Late”, another excellent track, then brings dual gender vocals into a pop friendly, folk-rock album highlight.
“Stardust” arrives near the end and finds itself in a lush and very dynamic display of sublime singing and rhythmic musicianship that soars high, and “Lullaby” exits the listen calm, agile and eloquent with the hushed vocals complementing the mesmerizing acoustic guitar.
An extremely well done sophomore album that embraces the timelessness of, say, Fleetwood Mac, but also runs parallel to the greatness of current bands like The Lumineers, The Wandering Hearts’ stunning melodies, occasional haunting moments and strong attention to detail will make a fan out of anyone willing to listen.
Travels well with: Wildwood Kin- Wildwood Kin; Andrea Von Kampen- Old Country