words by Natalia Morawski

Brooklyn duo, Molly Hamilton and Robert Earl Thomas, aka Widowspeak have released their third album, All Yours.

While their previous albums were dark and foggy, All Yours gives lighter, simpler melodies, a melting pot of rock, indie and American folk. What gives the album a tinge is the retrospective and contemplative lyrics. Hamilton sings of love lost, losing time and growing wiser. Listening to the album feels like one of those sunny days where there are just enough clouds to mask the sunlight every now and then.

The dazed track, ‘Girls’ complete with harmonica and twangy bass, explores growing older but not surer, “Further from my wilder years, I get kinder to the younger girls.” and “I’ve seen girls, younger than me, so sure of what they want and it gets harder to focus in on what I want to focus on.”

‘Dead Love (So Still)’ is one of the more upbeat tracks, Thomas’ forceful guitar strums give the track a steady roll, but its punctuated with his scratchy, cascading solo. Again, Hamilton’s lyrics provide some breadth; questioning whether ending a relationship was the right choice.

Overall the album is made up of rhythmic guitar chords, lightly shaken maracas, and soft rock percussions. It’s dependable and predictable, which is not really a bad thing – it’s just good, easy listening.

And while Hamilton’s lyrics have the potential to strike a deeper chord with us, it’s not quite deep or hard enough. She’s contemplative in a hazy, not-quite-sad-about-it way. Maybe that’s what Widowspeak wanted; it’s inevitable to look back on relationships, but like in the side mirrors, relationships may appear closer than they are.

All Yours is an album that goes well with summer, road trips and lazy, self-indulgent days, but will you come back to it time and time again? Probably not.

Rating: ★★★

 

Go get yourself a copy of All Yours now from iTunes.


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