Tom Kell And Emiko Woods
Album: Glory Bound
Label: Self Released
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.tomandemi.com

Tom's background dates from membership of 70s Seattle country-rockers The Skyboys through 80s and 90s singer-songwriterdom culminating in the acclaimed album The Desert City. Over the past 15 years though, Tom's been active in Southern California writing and performing secular, gospel and children's music.

After the untimely death, a couple of years ago, of his close musical collaborator Kenny Edwards (with whom he'd recorded a number of CDs), Tom teamed up with young singer Emiko Woods, and they began to perform regularly as a duo at Tom's home church, the First Baptist Church of Lakewood (Southern California), subsequently being invited to record a joint album of rootsy gospel-flavoured songs they'd written together. Glory Bound, released at the end of last year, is that debut, and it proves a gentle, very likeable, if at times perhaps even slightly undersold set that relies on their soulful and charismatic, entirely supportive vocal harmonies to carry the simple sentiments of their songs where, refreshingly, the religion aspect doesn't shout to convert you but remains sincere and grounded in pure honest faith.

At their best, as on Are You Calling Me?, the duo's original songs can equal anything in time-honoured country-gospel tradition, while My Hallelujah and This Time, and especially the opener Too High, are much in the mould of classic Americana from the Gillian Welch stable; at all times, Tom and Emiko's delivery is uplifting and committed. Instrumentation is all-you-need basic, with Tom's acoustic guitar subtly boosted by electric guitar, mandolin, bass and soft-brushed drumming (primarily T.J. Hill and Carlos Rivera).

Glory Bound is certainly a most attractive proposition, but hey, the duo need to be careful with their crediting, for the tracklist includes Albert E. Brumley's well-travelled 1929 opus I'll Fly Away yet the package proclaims "all songs written by Tom Kell & Emiko Woods" - is that just plain careless or naughty?!…

David Kidman