The
Lobbyists – Our Home EP (Independent)
Although The Lobbyists roots lie in theatre – the
quintet of Tommy Crawford (vocals, guitar), Will Turner (vocals, banjo, guitar,
mandolin), Alex Grubbs (vocals, mandolin, guitar), Tony Vo (vocals, percussion)
and Eloïse Eonnet (vocals, tambourine) met while acting in the award-nominated
New York theatre hit “These Seven Sicknesses” - their music very much draws from the Americana and
folk-roots tradition.
Their “Our Home EP” is the group’s debut offering, a
six track collection which showcases their songwriting skills, their
musicianship, and their quite striking vocal harmonies. These are instantly
apparent on the EP’s launch track, “Ramblin'”, which is preceded by an
80-second acapella display that’s quite beautifully executed. We have to wait
until the next track “Sunshine” before they sing again, and this time it’s
accompanied, though no less impressive.
I suppose it’s inevitable that they’ll be compared to
other outstanding vocal groups, from Crosby, Stills and Nash, to contemporary
artists like Fleet Foxes, but there’s an unblemished optimism to The Lobbyists,
which allows them to stand apart from obvious comparisons and associations, and
makes them an intriguing and welcome proposition.
There’s not a weak track on the record, and I can
imagine songs like the fore mentioned “Ramblin'” and the pacey title track are
showstoppers when presented live. Indeed, should they feel the urge to spread
their wings, I’m sure they’d go down a storm on the UK folk festival circuit.
The organizers of Cambridge and Cropredy need to get on the phone, pronto.
Tony S.
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