Winter Mountain
Album: Find, Follow
Label: Charcoal
Tracks: 3
Website: http://www.wintermountain.co.uk

Serendipity can be a strange mistress. Take two musicians, one English, Martin Smyth, although he might prefer the description Cornish, One Irish, Joseph Francis, and relocate them to the States. Next keep their cash at a level so that instead of taking the plane from Chicago to Memphis, Tennessee they have to take the train. Arrange an accidental meeting at Union Station and hours of opportunity to exchange experiences, songs and stories and Bob's your uncle, you've created Winter Mountain.

Next move them back to Northern Ireland, put them in a songwriter-battle of the bands type thing, where they impress a local promoter, and which they won by the way, who gives them a slot opening for Cara Dillon & Sam Lakeman who just happen to be looking for acts for their recently formed Charcoal record label.

From there it all gets relatively easy, a support tour with Seth Lakeman, which was where I first saw them, and then into the studio to record debut ep, "Find, Follow". Ok that brief resume does Joseph Francis and Martin Smith a bit of a disservice, there have been huge amounts of work to bring it all together, but one thing all talent needs is the breaks and not knowing where a chance meeting might lead.

As you would probably expect from a duo that brought two singer songwriters together, there is a real emphasis on harmony across the three track of "Find, Follow" and a sound that will, no doubt, draw comparisons with the likes of Simon & Garfunkle as they follow a similar folk pop path, with a very strong emphasis on the song. If you didn't know better, you would swear you were listening to blood harmonies, rather than the blending of voices from diverse parts of the British Isles.

"Find, Follow" is a warm and welcoming introduction to the duo. They have a sound that is gentle on the year, but with plenty of personality. They've captured that 60s and 70s acoustic pop sound and given a taste of the here and now.

Neil King