Skylark
Delfina, 2023
9/10
A stripped down version of Americana from Lucia Comnes and John Palmer, as Open Road the pair craft 9 impressive tunes for this debut that’s as diverse as it is sincere.
“No Hiding Place” begins the listen with Comnes’ intricate violin and Palmer’s warm acoustic guitar for the Appalachian spirited climate, and “Everybody Loves You” follows with a playful ragtime feel that welcomes Gawain Mathews’ frisky drums to the highly melodic delivery.
Elsewhere, the mid-tempo ballad “Wildflowers” has the pair harmonizing with much beauty in the Tom Petty cover, while the title track spotlights Mathews’ glowing pedal steel and is full light drums, mesmerizing acoustic guitar and Comnes’ poetic vocals alongside Palmer’s soulful backing voice.
Approaching the end, “Can’t Let Go” touches on rockabilly and uses fiddle, muted guitar and firm harmonies strategically in the Lucinda Willams classic, and “Dimming The Day” exits with an emotive story of the loss of romantic love, where the duo do justice to the Richard Thompson song with much beauty and grace.
A really well thought out and carefully executed first album, fans of Americana and folk music will find much to adore here, as Open Road pen intimate and frisky tunes of their own and put a very memorable spin on the covers, too.
Travels well with: Karan Casey- Nine Apples Of Gold; Daniel Janke- Songs Of Small Resistance