New for 2021
While we endure a long cold winter in lock-down why not allow yourself to be swept away to sunny California in the 1970s courtesy of 29-year-old singer/songwriter Pearl Charles.
The album opens with an arresting ‘I Don’t Like Mondays’ style intro before a playful nod to Abba’s Dancing Queen. ‘Only For The Night’ sets the tone for ‘Magic Mirror’, her third album following 2018’s ‘Sleepless Dreamer’. Fans of fellow Americana troubadour Jenny Lewis, particularly her last album ‘On The Line’ will enjoy the likes of ‘What I Need’ and ‘As Long As You’re Mine’.
The soothing steel-pedal guitar and infectious hooks bolster a confident vocal. ‘I Don’t Feel Like Myself’ recalls Neil Young’s ‘Tonight’s The Night’ album; the melancholic and otherworldly atmosphere has a similar effect on the listener to elements of Young’s 1973 masterpiece. ‘Slipping Away’ leans closer towards Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours, an album that seems to grow more influential with every passing year.
‘Take Your Time’ reveals more of a delightful Celtic lilt as well as more gorgeous steel pedal guitars with added wah-wah effects and arpeggios.
They add some colour to this beautifully evocative piece of writing that summons pop music from another place and time. Â
Â
