Get The Sweet Sorrows debut album from BandCamp.
A debut album from The Sweet Sorrows brings together the tender sounds of Americana and Celtic in what is a reminder that those traditions are actually not too far apart from each other.
The Sweet Sorrows are husband and wife team, Sammy and Kylie Horner, and they have pulled together 10 self-penned tunes that are beautifully crafted and full of sweet moments. The album kicks off with 'Ain't No Devil Ever Gonna Steal My Soul' and I swear I thought it was going to burst into a Steve Earle song at any moment (though it also has that sweet opening like Bon Jovi's 'Wanted Dead or Alive' - not sure if they would want to know that!), that is not to discredit the song in anyway! It's a real beauty and Kylie's harmony add's a nice touch to it.
'Helper' is one of those great songs that reminds us that we can't do everything ourselves and that we have to look outside ourselves to "drag me through".
'The Baby Song' is a cute look at the heart of a parent who knows when they look at their kid that their "heart is fit to burst". It's a tender song on which Sammy and Kylie both contribute a beautiful vocal.
'It All Belongs' is a peculiar song in this day and age because it's a song about gratitude (a rare commodity) and not just gratitude when the sun shines on your path but when there's struggle and pain.
'I'll Dance With The Girl That I Brung', Sammy must have been thinking of Scotland when he penned this one, a beautiful look at dancing at a céilidh with a girl who's maybe not as pretty or as great a dancer as the other girls present.
'Nothing New', is a reminder of how great man thinks he is with all his creations and yet the reality is there is nothing new beneath the sun and that we best set our sight somewhere else. Spirituality is actually quite a fixture of the album but do not let that daunt you because we do have to remind ourselves the eternal does actually have some bearing on each of us.
'Jesus, Are We OK?' In the face of failure, defeat, barreness there's a temptation to think that things between the Lord and us is on shakey ground and the song brings all that to bear with the question.
'If I Knew How To Tell You' is like a song of confession of dealing with the paradox's of life and wondering how on earth you can actually communicate that - "the peace between my calm and rage/if I could write it on a page/I'd know how to tell you."
'Different' is another tender song on the album about how folk differ from each other and yet they still fit together (I mean it would be boring if our significant others were exactly the same as us wouldn't it?).
'May The Road Rise Up To Meet You' ends the album on a high note with a song of blessing for the journey, and how we need it.
All in all it's a great little album that fits well into the canon of Sammy's previous work but at the same time is new enough to show a different side to him. Kylie certainly adds flavour to album and it's great to hear that the move from Scotland to Canada has not daunted their love of the Celtic side of things.
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