Edisons are Fran King and Pete Fagan – two Irish singer-songwriters with a serious pedigree and a wealth of experience in various guises. An ambitious undertaking by any measure, this slice of pure Americana is a loose concept album, inspired by the life and death of notorious depression-era gangster, John Dillinger.
Sepia-toned and timeless appearance-wise, the pair are clearly in thrall to that whole period and, on the sleeve, they look like they’ve just stepped out of a scene from O Brother, Where Art Thou? Musically, Little Bohemia is an all-acoustic blend of country rock, folk and bluegrass and it recalls 1970s stalwarts like Ry Cooder, Randy Newman, Gene Clarke and even the Eagles’ similarly-inspired concept on Desperado. But they carry it off, not only through well turned-out tunes with strong melodies, deftly performed backing and sympathetic arrangements, but through Gavin Glass’s careful production and Jon Astley’s mastering.
Opener ‘When The Morning Comes’ is a lovely, lilting country ballad boasting gorgeous lonesome harmonies, fiddle and sundry other acoustic instruments. The title track is a gentle, waltz-like country & western ballad, while they up the tempo on the more raucous ‘Take Them Down’. ‘Badlands’ (no relation to the Springsteen song) explores denser textures and features an ethereal background choir.
A lovely duet, ‘When I Was’, featuring JoAnne James, is a definite highlight, as is the beautifully performed and achingly poignant ‘I’ll Never Run/Dear John’. The tune also provides the central theme of the album, which appears to be something along the lines of ‘No Surrender’.
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