Tattletale Saints - How Red is the Blood Album Review
The first thing that struck me about the album How Red Is The Blood was the attention to detail on the CD packaging and artwork, very professional and a pleasure to receive.
Tattletale Saints have an array of traditional instruments such as Double Bass, Mandolin and Harmonica to name a few and are very old school in performance style.
The first song on the album Kathleen could certainly be played on most national radio stations and would get a very warm reception. It is upbeat, easy to listen to and is a very interesting song start to finish. The vocals are very warm and hold the interest throughout the album.
Traces of You has a very Stand By Me feel which is one of my all-time favourite songs and you get the feeling that some of these songs could be headed to movie soundtracks in the near future.
The third song Emily has great lyrics which sound like they were written during the early days in a student flat. This draws you into the songwriters life and makes you feel like you have a connection with the them.
My highlight from the album is Doctor Doctor. A Beatles style song with changing tempo to mix things up, from 4/4 to swing in an effortless shift. The same Paul McCartney voice can be heard in How Red Is the Blood from a Broken Heart, what a great title for a song!
Not being a fan of Irish style music makes Fell Upon the Fields my least favourite track. Having said that, it is done well and will appeal to most.
As a drummer, I was personally waiting for a song to step out and kick the album into a different direction; however the drums didn’t happen and were never meant to. The album is using some of the best acoustic instruments you can find all gelled together into a moving masterpiece. Jessica on Prairie Legs is a good example of a heart felt, tear filled song.
Molly, Hank and We’ve Got Lakes are really more of the same, and although they didn’t move or impress me as much as the others, more listens may change my mind.
At Last has great chord changes that really bring out the best in the vocals and guitars. It’s the sort of song that could have featured in one of the dreamy songs on Grease.
This is certainly an album that will grow and needs more than one listen to fully appreciate. It is an album that can appeal to all ages and fans of all genres, please check them out on http://www.tattletalesaints.com/ and get to one of the gigs that they are currently performing.
Where they can go now from here will be interesting and I will be watching for sure.
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About Tattletale Saints
Formally part of London based band Her Make Believe Band, Cy Winstanley and Vanessa McGowan released their debut album AM Radio (Old Oak Music) in 2009 to critical acclaim both in NZ and in the UK, including Uncut Magazine UK who described songwriter/vocalist/guitarist Winstanley as “a potent songwriter with a voice gently reminiscent of Paul Simon” while vocalist/bassist McGowan “adds beguiling harmonies”. Graham Reid, New Zealand's foremost music journalist, described AM Radio as a "delightful album...hooks you in with melodies and keeps you there by virtue of the words...very sharp stuff".
Performing as a duo under the name Tattletale Saints, Cy and Vanessa present Cy’s songs in their rawest form, with just acoustic guitar, double bass and two voices. With voices described as “love letters between Amy Mann and a slip-sliding Paul Simon” they evoke the work of Gillian Welch and David Rawlings in their musical connection and full sound belying the duo’s size.
Visit the muzic.net.nz Profile for Tattletale Saints
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