“I think we should make a record together.” This, sent via email to Neko Case and Laura Veirs by kd lang, was the spark that lit the flame for case/lang/veirs. This is brought up contextually on account of the fact the trio perform together on this debut effort as if they have been doing so for years.
By triangulating the sheer force and resonance of their individual voices, the group manage to create something that’s among the most powerful and captivating work of their combined careers – and that is no mean feat when one looks at the body of work within that particular canon. Each artist brings bits and pieces from their corners of the folk-rock spectrum into the sound – the stabs of strings and the slow-waltz swoon of Honey and Smoke are vintage lang; Delirium harks back to Case’s Middle Cyclone-era; and Veirs takes the steering wheel on the infectious Best Kept Secret. That’s not even touching the all-in efforts of the stunning opener Atomic Number or the choral I Want to Be Here, in which the trio truly exemplify the best of their respective worlds.
Forget supergroup stigma – this is one of 2016’s must-hears.
BY DAVID JAMES YOUNG
