Larkin Poe is a tough one to describe. The sibling duo is this breath of fresh air in today’s musical climate that’s sorta Country, sorta Bluegrass, sorta Pop, sorta Hip-Hop yet all the while kinda transcending those genres entirely to create a sort of New Americana. On their fourth outing, Venom & Faith, they hone that sound and create a body of music that’s truly timeless.
“Sometime” is a down home throwdown with Rebecca Lovell providing some boss bass vocals, accompanied by handclaps, until a horn section gradually comes in and it’s like a New Orleans-style second line which is simply divine. “Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues” has soul and storytelling with Megan Lovell’s lapsteel providing some twang and is another one, like most tracks on here, that’ll have you uncontrollably tappin’ yer tootsies.
Veering into an almost David Lynch/Twin Peaks-esque dreamscape, “Honey Honey” is a swooping, airy ballad that has Rebecca singing these angelic falsettos against Megan’s hazy guitar licks before a drum line subtly marches in to conclude the track in a flurry of beats.
Guitar phenom Tyler Bryant makes his presence known during “Mississippi” as his slide guitar pairs nicely with the siblings’ musical prowess while “Blue Ridge Mountains” evokes the feeling of actually being in those Georgian mountains with the guitar sounding like a fiddle at times.
Later on, “Fly Like An Eagle” is a quick hymnal before the somber tones of “Ain’t Gonna Cry” descends as Rebecca’s vocal flow becomes reminiscent of a modern MC (Kanye West in his prime comes to mind) with concise beats pairing nicely with Megan’s guitar. Penultimate “Hard Time Killing Floor Blues”, on the other hand, is the most perfect Jeff Healey/Allman Brothers concoction before “Good And Gone” ends Venom & Faith and echoes “Sometime” with this stripped down song that has the vocal and guitar lines belting out the same melody exquisitely.
Venom & Faith is out on November 9th through Tricki-Woo Records. You can pre-order directly from LP by clicking here or go the digital route by clicking here. For everything Larkin Poe, including tour dates (They’ll be hitting the road with Bob Seger in December!) and more, head over here.