Blueflint -‘Maudy Tree’ (Johnny Rock Records)
Two years since their excellent debut album, High Bright Morning, and the Edinburgh bluegrass act have returned with their sophomore album. It’s definitely been worth the wait.
To these ears, it’s darker in places than High Bright Morning, but there’s also a hint of black humour as well. Opener ‘Light In THe Window’ is as warm an entry as ‘Takes More Than A Little Time’ was on their debut, but there’s a hint -just a hint – of things being darker this time round. ‘P45’ is reposte to a former lover, and getting revenge on them, perhaps via karma. ‘I’ll be the P in your P45/the dogshit on your shoe/the suicidial song that’s playing when you’ve got the blues.’
It’s always the hope that an act will advance on their soiphomore album, and the fact that the line up has now expanded to include Hugh Kelly on double-bass and Roddy Neilson of Peatbog Faeries fame on fiddle and vocals as well as the fearsome double-act of Deborah Arnott and Clare Neilson is an indication of how they have grown. Neilson takes lead vocals on ‘Bottlebank’ adding another dimension to the record.
If you still haven’t bought their debut, shame on you. Make sure you get this one as well.
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Maudy Tree is out now on Johnny Rock Records