Sweet Little Lies

You might expect an outfit named after a Fleetwood Mac song to come over all west coast country rock textures, radio-friendly melodies and sunny vocal harmonies. But these five tracks recorded in lovely Letrim by this seven-piece collective, display more Caribbean than Californian influences – mainly down to a reggae backbeat underpinning most of the tunes here. The clue might be in the opener, ‘Mango Picking’ which boasts a powerful vocal performance courtesy of Roisin Atcheson, over a languid groove and a lovely ska-brass arrangement. ‘Say What You Mean’ is even more rooted in Jamaica with a touch of The Police’s Regatta De Blanc, while ‘Caught Up’ is more slow jazz in execution, though similar in overall style. The folk-orientated ‘Got Me Falling’ showcases yet another side to this intriguing group, who manage to bring a warm glow to everything they touch.