Couldn’t Be Happiers – Couple(t)s
Well, the first impression from this North Carolina husband & wife duo (Jodi Hildebran & Jordan Crosby Lee) aside from their fine singing & musicianship is that they have style. The first track, “Come Back Tomorrow,” simple as it is, is loaded with craftsmanship, creativity & Jodi’s wonderful vocal tone.
Track 2 shifts over to Jordan, who has a deeper, folk-inflected voice with clarity on the strong “When I Die.” He may need a little more personality in his delivery, but the voice is appropriate for the song. 12 slick-sounding tunes will drift into naked ears on Couple(t)s (Drops June 13/42:50), the duo’s sophomore self-produced album.
The tunes are mostly rootsy-folk with a smear of country. But the attraction is the voices & melodies. It’s a fun listen constructed to unravel from a full-bodied production. “Plastic Bag Odyssey (I’ll Never Die),” is sung by Jodi & it’s another contagious tune. Jodi blends wisely in this performance a folk-rootsy vocal that has a theatrical twist – she projects with power & discipline. She could easily sing showtunes on Broadway. There’s a hint of Annie Golden’s approach (Golden-Carrillo – “Fire In New Town”) in Jodi’s performances. Mind you, I didn’t say influenced or “sounds like” – the ladies just sound like musical relatives.
Jodi does it again with the upbeat & marvelous “Tear It Down,” where she even trudges into Bette Bright of Deaf School territory (“All Queued Up,” “Hi-Jo-Hi”). This is exuberant music that’s well played & laid out. Their vocals are clean, enjoyable, pleasantly quirky at times & optimistic in value. Hopefully, they won’t get too caught up in controversy. They seem careful with their themes & are diplomatic. I’m sure they don’t alienate their audience. The duo has a pleasant, diverse & stylistic flavor in their compositions.
As good as “Wherever You Go” is, it’s dangerously close to a novelty song that the duo navigates cautiously. Fortunately, it never gets too silly. The final track runs a slender finger across a darker folk element on “Lydia’s Bridge.” Nice touch.
Highlights – “Come Back Tomorrow,” “When I Die,” “Plastic Bag Odyssey (I’ll Never Die),” “Tear It Down,” “King of Austin,” “I Got You,” “Brown Mountain Lights,” & “Lydia’s Bridge.”
Musicians –Jodi (lead vocals/drums/harmonica/acoustic guitar/percussion/bgv/claps), Jordan (lead vocals/electric & acoustic guitars/claps/bgv), Doug Davis (electric & acoustic & high-strung guitars/mandolin/percussion/piano/bass & Hammond bass pedals/Hammond & Vox organs/Omnichord/Mellotron/melodica/drums/stomps & claps/bgv/horn arrangement), Corky McClellan (drums/whistle), Jack Gorham (accordion), Kenny Butler (trumpet), Rob Yingling (sax), Bernie Hall (trombone), Urshawn Matthews (sousaphone), Travis Williams (double bass), Rick Nathey (pedal steel) & Pete Pawsey (banjo/e-bow banjo/lap steel & ambient noises).
Color image courtesy of the duo’s Bandcamp. CD @ Bandcamp & https://couldntbehappiers.com/
Song Premiere: Couldn’t Be Happiers “The New Year Song”
