Album Review: The Shires, My Universe

Banish the twangy, whiny associations of the country genre – even non-fans will relish the juicy harmonies dripping from the second album by English duo Ben Earle and Crissie Rhodes, aka The Shires. The boys were the biggest selling UK country artists last year, and they don’t disappoint this time around either.

Upbeat and strong to start, the album then features a series of ballads. The Shires remind you to rejoice among a cluster of slower melodies with lines like, “I remember how your sweet smile broke into a laugh/ and how it drove me wild.” Sure to be a live favourite, this jam will have the crowds singing and slow-dancing the night away.

The band strongly recall American folk act the Civil Wars on ‘Desperate,’ which features raw vocals underpinned by fluid piano swells.

Throughout the album, Earle and Rhodes are brave enough to reveal their vulnerabilities. In ‘Everything You Never Gave’ – a personal reflection on fatherhood – Ben confesses “I want to thank you/ For showing me everything I have to give.” Crissie also shines vocally when she pays homage to her own late father in ‘Daddy’s Daughter’. Like the other memories shared on My Universe, it’s powerfully resonant stuff.