The Wandering Hearts – The Wandering Hearts
Decca – 26 February 2021
Recorded in Woodstock, this is the second album from The Wandering Hearts, the London-based UK Americana close harmony outfit, now working as the trio of Francesca Whiffin, Tara Wilcox and AJ Dean.
It opens with the bluesy Hammer Fall, a lengthy intro of thumping tribal bass drum circling acoustic resonator guitar and wordless harmonies finally heralding Whiffin and Wilcox’s vocals on an unexpected break-up number (“you never saw it coming, well more fool you”) followed by Dean taking lead on the steady urgency of Over Your Body, both readily evoking the close harmonies of 60s acts.
Switching styles, with its handclaps and galloping rhythm, the opening of Build A Fire recalls the sound of old-school cowboy country while the big chorus has more of a Lumineers feel, no accident perhaps given this too is produced by Simone Felice and David Baron.
Then, on a softer note, I Feel It Too is more of a foksy acoustic number that supports the First Aid Kit often made comparisons before Dean takes up the baton again for Gold, another thumping drum number where those Tusk-era Fleetwood Mac influences come into play.
At almost five and a half minutes, Deloresis the album’s longest number, a delicately fingerpicked folksy track with gossamer vocals closing on slowly fading piano notes After the tranquility, things spark up again with the chugging strum of Dreams March 12, Dean channelling the dusty balladeering of Springsteen under his Western Stars.
Dean again on vocals, the percussive rhythmic backing, cascading melody line and handclapping euphoria on Never Too Late have a definite African pop vibe. What sounds like the muted thrum of machinery mingling with waves sets the scene for the ghostly, moody, sparsely metronomic fingerpicked Tell Me When I Wake Up, Dean continuing to carry the torch as it bursts into the exuberant pop of On Our Way before the three voices come together, sharing verses, with Stardust, a rousing crowd friendly, tumbling chorus, anthemic number that surely should be a highlight of some fantasy Americana version of Eurovision. It closes with the girls cooing together on the brief, acoustic fingerpicked Lullaby, a gentle dreamy end to a dream of an album that should surely see the trio following in the commercial breakout footsteps of The Shires and Ward Thomas.