Album Review by Mark Bayross
Texan duo Steven and Sherilyn Collins’ second collaboration with producer Mark Howard addresses wider concerns than their debut album PARAMOUR, driven no doubt by the all-pervading effect of global uncertainty that few artists seem able or willing to ignore.
Nonetheless, despite the haunting arrangements and Southern Gothic atmosphere running throughout the record, there is also a feeling of hope and the need to leave some kind of positive legacy in the face of eternity after our short life (see WON’T BE LONG for example), a theme supported by the band’s name.
Howard’s subtle but detailed production (he’s worked for the likes of Bob Dylan and U2, so he clearly knows his stuff), underlining occasional bursts of guitar or mournful piano, lends songs like BROTHER JOHN and SLOW DANCE a by-the-campfire mood, while the narratives in WEREWOLVES and SAD OLE’ GERONIMO fit all the Delta Blues standards.
Fortunately for Steven and Sherilyn, they are no longer “haunted by THE MONSTERS OF GOYA” – having recently won enough equipment to set up a studio through the Independent World Music Series competition, they have now quit their day jobs to produce other artists and work full-time on their music. So I guess life ain’t all bad.
