The accomplished band from LA, The Skylarks, are a unique blend of folk, country blues, and Americana, with music that can sway ones mood and propel thought and imagination to a distant place.Imagine driving alone on a beautiful country road, with nothing but openness and fresh air, listening to music that speaks the language of your feelings. This is the same feeling you will get when you listen to the self-titled album by, The Skylarks. Released in the summer of 2014, the album is a true statement to their love and dedication to music and it is felt through every one of the songs.
The opening song, ‘Our Own Enemy’, starts off with a great ambient sound effect and then jumps directly into the bands upbeat folk style with great reverberated guitar riffs that give it a blues rock tone and a steel guitar that mix in a folk country twist. ‘Almost Feel A Breeze’, which is the featured song on the album, has great energy and uplifting lyrics, then takes a sudden turn, diving into a great breakdown, then exploding into some rock guitar with a wailing trumpet solo at the end. The band also provides a great YouTube of the band performing this song live at the Palace Theater in historic downtown Los Angeles which is included as a link in this review.
The next song ‘Blowing Like a Rose’ gets back to a kick back folk style with the female backing vocalist taking the lead brilliantly. ‘Deeper Sleep’ has a driving rock guitar riff with creative vocal layering and a great stereo imaging of the steel guitar.
My personal favorite would be the track called, ‘Sheer Bliss For Me’, which has a more gritty rock flavor and a great vocal hook stating, “decide which side your on”. Each song on the album is well written and produced and it is fair to say that there is not one song that isn’t a great song.
The vocalist and guitarists of The Skylarks, Sam Mellon, has an impressive songwriting ability, being that he is the primary songwriter, and carries the music with his strong charismatic voice, that can be compared to lead singer of R.E.M., Michael Stipe.Back up vocals by, Amy Luftig Viste, add beautiful subtle harmonies on top of the already powerful lyrical lines lending the perfect compliment to the melodic structure of each song and, with her amazing talent to sing, can also take the reign as lead vocalist from time to time.
The outstanding musicians that surround Sam Mellon’s folk style acoustic songs really bring the final touch to the bands awesome sound, from the on-point drumming and vocal harmonies of Brian Olamit, to the strong reverberated lead guitar melodies of Russ Chaput. Not to leave out any of the other great musicians in the band, the bass player, Anthony Cook, creates a strong foundation for each song with smooth bass lines and subtle transitions, while steel guitar player, Julian Goldwhite, and trumpet/percussion player, Dan Clucas, add their signature melodic sounds in beautiful stereo, creating a sound recognizable to Neil Young’s backing band, Crazy Horse.
Having had a strong reputation in the music scene since 2005, The Skylark’s have built up a loyal fan base over the years and with three full-length albums they possess an abundance of material that have helped escalate their success as a great live act in their hometown music scene.The Skylarks ability to paint a picture in ones mind with their music is what has allowed the band to excel in an industry that has high demand for music of that caliber.
For more info and the latest news about the Skylarks visit any social media site such as Facebook , iTunes , YouTube, etc. or visit their personal website www.theskylarksla.com
