Sweetheart of the Sun (Darling Street, 2013)
The Greencards
Reviewed by Kevin Oliver
This set of tunes - and the way it is arranged on the track listing - echoes the live show, alternating between expressive instrumentals such as Paddle the Torrens and emotionally resonant numbers featuring Carol Young's unadorned yet gorgeous voice, such as the languid, regretful tone of Ocean Floor or the slow-building travelogue of the Celtic-flavored Traveler's Song. When the full band kicks in vocally and instrumentally, as they do on the chorus to Wide Eyed Immigrant, it's an aural release of pent-up energy that makes even the slight textural shifts significant and memorable.
Kym Warner's mandolin work is both the plinking underpinning of songs such as Black, Black Water and the sparkling decorative element throughout, saving the quieter tracks from a vaguely New Age mellow mushiness that threatens to overtake the proceedings at times. This isn't the loudest music The Greencards have ever made, but it is the most effortlessly rendered. The various instruments, from bouzouki to accordion, pedal steel, and other exotic extras, provide a textured approach that's many miles away from the mainstream yet more accessible than one might imagine.
CDs by The Greencards
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