Stacey
Earle & Mark Stuart - Dedication (Gearle Records)
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And so it goes. Both lyrically and melodically, the
songs hold up every time, and the agility of swapped lead vocals, together with
their harmonising so well, (as on "If You Change Your Mind") makes it
a listening treat. And then you get to "The Flag", a narration of the
words with a muted backing, which flies on its own. Done a different way this
would be talking blues, but here it’s talking Americana, a beautifully poetic
six minutes, chronicling a mother's love, and her worries about her son, as he
faces the challenges of growing up, and finally joins the army. If they had
closed the album with this it would have left thousands of us sobbing, probably
never daring to return. Fortunately for us they place it right smack dab in the
middle, where we can press the pause button, wipe our eyes, and once recovered continue
with the rest of the album, as the remaining songs are every bit as perfect as
their predecessors.
I am not that familiar with their previous work, but
I shall be soon, and that's a promise. I've missed out on this husband and wife
duo for far too long already.
Kev A.
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