Search - Court & Spark :: Hearts

Expectation exceeded

D.D. | Somerset, KY. USA | 05/14/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Court & Spark's previous recordings set a high bar for Hearts, and those listeners like myself who regard this group highly will be pleasantly surprised that Hearts is exceeds those high expectations. On Bless You and Witch Season, the two discs preceding Hearts; two aspects of Court & Spark's music made an immediate impression, both obvious at first listen, but wonderfully elusive when listened to carefully. The golden "country" tone of M.C. Taylor's singing is a real voice, so unlike the affected drag-king sound of so-called male contemporary country singers that a close listen will intoxicate with its sensuality. The vocal sound has the melancholic edge of a singer who knows about love and loss. Taylor is often superficially compared to Gram Parsons; the only real comparison in the country genre is George Jones. But you might as well apprach his muse from the angle of the lute songs of John Dowland. Taylor is a wide-awake musician who cannot be neatly pigeon-holed. In one sense the beautiful country-esque drawl is, like a lot of the aspects of Court & Spark compositions, a signifier for a more complicated reality and a paradox. I get the feeling that Taylor is a bit of a magician, and is himself pleased and amazed to spin dross into gold. In doing so he brings a sense of unexpected courage in facing the challenge of creating new music in what promises to be a tough century. The survival of a sweet vulnerability in the face of overwhelming odds has always been at the core of country music, and that, I think, is what Taylor evokes. (I'll return to this review shortly, with a consideration of the 2nd impressive quality in this recording; the group.)"