Broken-hearted folk, power pop and soul

Ardent Studios, famed both for their original productions by Big Star and the raft of overflow sessions hosted for Stax, is still a working concern. Recent visitors have included Robyn Hitchcock, Klaus Voorman, Jack White and many more local, national and international luminaries. Less well-known is that the Ardent Music record label provides a modern day parallel to the original Ardent Records upon which Big Star’s albums and singles were released. The label’s latest is the debut by Star & Micey, a trio whose music is built on a uniquely Memphisian blend of rock, folk, blues, country, pop and soul.

Vocalist Joshua Cosby sings in a voice reminiscent of Robert Plant’s gentler blue-folk tone applied to Gordon Gano’s angst. When surrounded by harmonies, such as on the broken hearted “Carly,” a power-pop winsomeness emerges from the quivering edge of his voice. Guitarist (and Ardent staffer) Nick Redmond finger-picks chiming country-folk and slides buzzing southern-blues, layering them into a cross between Chet Atkins, Mungo Jerry and the Allman Brothers. Some productions are given a light soul sheen (“I Am the One She Needs”), others built up with ornate and powerful strings (“On Your Own”), left to shamble (“Late at Night”) or stripped down to a lullaby (“Quicksand”).

Cosby’s lyrics are like pages taken from a lovelorn writer’s diary. There are songs of being held at arm’s length, getting dumped, simmering in anger, rediscovering one’s independence, and letting oneself fall back in love. The lyrics are laced with romantic torment, but the nervous wobble of Cosby’s voice suggests drama that’s poured into tears that are cried alone. It’s the extrovert-introvert pivot of great power pop: emotional needs that struggle to be heard outside the songwriter’s head. The blend of musical flavors of adds a winning Memphis twist that sets this apart from the guitar jangle that typically accompanies such romantic strife. [©2009 hyperbolium dot com]

MP3 | So Much Pain
MP3 | Carly
MP3 | On Your Own
Star & Micey’s Home Page
Star & Micey’s MySpace Page