Discovered by Garth Brooks’ manager in 2008, the latest big thing to emerge from the Nashville music machine consists of three youthful siblings, Kimberly, Neil and Reid Perry – all Tennessee born and bred.
Though unashamedly commercial and aiming for the massive mainstream audience enjoyed by the likes of Lady Antebellum and Taylor Swift, they offer a refreshing take on a much-maligned genre, with some memorable songs to boot. It has to be said that Kimberly looks the spit of Taylor Swift on the album’s cover shot, while the opening track, ‘You Lie’ could easily be mistaken for one of Swift’s teen love tales! Far better is the big radio hit, ‘If I Die Young’, the first of no less than five singles on this platinum-selling US album. A lovely, mid-tempo, bluegrass-rooted affair with the banjo very much to the fore, it leans towards Dixie Chicks/Alison Krauss territory – no bad thing in itself.
The harmonies are exquisite throughout, especially on tracks such as ‘All Your Life,’ another traditional-sounding ballad, while the mandolin and slide guitar on ‘Walk Me Down The Middle’ make for yet another highlight. They’re not entirely about back-porches and barns: ‘Miss You Being Gone’ is out-and-out rock ‘n’ roll, while they veer into honky-tonk territory on the rollicking bar-room stomp of ‘Double Heart’. But their forte clearly lies in the more rootsy side of things and the album closes on a gentle note with poignant love song ‘Lasso’.
This is an impressive debut and one that should see them replicate their Stateside success on this side of the pond. They’re in Dublin for a showcase on March 24 at the Workman’s Club, providing a once-off opportunity to catch these rising stars in an intimate setting.