The Lost Brothers
Album: The Passing Of The Night
Label: Lojinx
Tracks: 11
Website: http://www.thelostbrothersband.com

Like the Righteous and Walkers before them Irish Duo The Lost Brothers are not actual siblings and, like the Righteous and Walker varieties that has not stopped them producing some excellent harmonious music.

Since Oisin Leech and Mark McCausland got together in Liverpool five years ago they have released two albums prior to The Passing of the Night. It is produced by multi instrumentalist and Raconteur Brendon Benson and recorded at the 1979 studios in Nashville Tennessee, there is a distinct country flavour to the album without it every really being a country album. In fact, it is one of those albums that are hard to categorise. You would probably 'file under folk' but would do so with a heavy heart.

Opener 'Not Now Warden' is old school country in both lyrical content (a man in prison learns his lover is no longer waiting for him to get out) and feel but the vocals are gentler than you would expect for such a song. 'Now That the Night Has Come' is old timey with plenty of mandolin and the pump organ and musical saw combine for the melancholy, funereal 'Widow Maker'. The mood changes with piano led 'Tumbling Line', a short track complete with jaunty whistling.

The Passing of the Night walks the line between every track sounding the same and eleven tracks so widespread that it is if they are running through a pre-determined check list of 'styles to include'. It is highly recommended.

John 'The Jacket' Hawes