Thu 19 Apr 2007
LEA VALLEY DELTA BLUES
Source: ROCK N REEL MAGAZINE

"Hackney-based Anglo-American five piece Morning Bride combine an obvious love of the classic '60's sounds of The Velvet Underground, Jefferson Airplane and even Fairport Convention, but wisely never let the influences dominate proceedings on Lea Valley Delta Blues, their debut album.

With a choice of two lead vocalists to call upon - the southern, almost country twang of Amity Joy Dunn and the cool, dark, velvety croon of songwriter Mark James Pearson - there's a yin and yang attractiveness to practically everything they do, and when they duet on 'Stepping Out In Front Of Cars', the results are spellbinding.

The rootsy feel is accentuated by the all-analogue 'almost' live in the studio recording (with Ed Deegan, engineer of The White Stripes, Holly Golightly et al at the controls). They make a further nod to Americana on the sparse, melodic ripples and slide of 'Isabelline', whilst Dunn's sweetly hypnotic vocal tones come into their own on the soaring 'Time Delay'.

Their versatility and grasp of purer forms of down-home country is revealed on the live-in-the-studio reading of their own deliciously entertaining 'Mother Hackney', an ode to modern metropoltian living. On the evidence revealed, Morning Bride clearly have the talent and musical invention to produce a true classic."