Review: King Richard's Sunday Best

King Richard’s Sunday Best - Butterscotch & Marzipan (Independent)
The King Richard’s Sunday Best Facebook page informs us the band’s interests include “Musical avocados, juggling, hypnotic onions and Czechs and balances”. That’s reassuring, just for a second there, we thought they might be a bit strange. Ignoring what they get up to in their private lives, and concentrating instead on their musical pursuits, we’re comforted by an album which is fixed firmly in the new folk-rock movement, a movement best represented by the likes of Mumford and their ilk, though the Atlantan quintet do their own thing in their own particular way.

There’s an edge to their sound, which might best be described as quirky, though fortunately they avoid the many pitfalls that forced eccentricity can attract by writing strong material and performing it with charm and zest. Their vocals are spot on, whether solo or in harmony, and they’ve not forgotten tunes. Big ones mostly, with plenty of barbs to catch unwary ears. They dip into sub-genres at will; “Forests” taps into the freak folk sound, “Bleeker Street” is far gentler. “Black Eyed Susan” employs stringband dynamics and “Valentines” a jazzy shuffle. All in all, a very enjoyable album, and one that’s easy to recommend to all fans of folk-rock and pop.
www.facebook.com/King-Richards-Sunday-Best
Rob F.