Speaker: Craig Curtis, Preloved Things
Tell us the name of the album you are reviewing. Who is it by?
Craig Curtis: Hi, my name is Craig, and today I am reviewing the new album by O and Shea, entitled 'Into The Sun'.
Is there a standout song for you?
Craig Curtis: The standout track for me on this album would have to be "The Colors Are Hummin'". - it's the last track on Side A. It's a slow, country-style ballad which is led by a very solid vocal performance. The harmonies between them, O and Shea, are just wonderful to hear. I think this band is at their best when they sing together like this. A big feature of this track is the beautiful slide guitar playing. It really adds another dimension to this track.
Tell us more... What did you think of the record?
Craig Curtis: The album starts off with an upbeat number called "Time To Groove". It reminds me a bit of 60s garage rock, twangy surf guitar, a bit like the Japanese group, the 5678's. This song is definitely an outlier though. The rest of the album has a more sombre tone. The 3rd song is a bit slower. It's sort of a "dolewave" style ballad. That's a lovely one to get lost in. As I said before, my favourite moments on this album are when they are both singing together. I find that their voices complement each other very well. Side B starts off with a slightly more upbeat number, which I think features a bit of organ. The next one has some loud, whammy bar driven surf guitar, which is just a joy to listen to. I'm a real sucker for that. Some songs mix it up with a bit of spoken French. There's one with with which is just acoustic guitar and vocals. And there's another one which goes super hard on the country aesthetic. There's whistling, slide guitar, and thunder. That's really cool to listen to. So overall, this album was just wonderful. I really hope I can see them play it live one day.
