LCM ALBUM OF THE WEEK
MOCKINGBIRD LANE - DANNI NICHOLLS
Release Date: 23rd October 2015
Genre: UK Country, Americana, Blues
Location: Bedford, England
Record Label: Danni Nicholls Music
Website: Danninicholls.com
Mockingbird Lane is the excellent second album from Bedford based singer-songwriter Danni Nicholls. It's a perfect slice of homegrown Americana from one of the rising stars of UK Country. The album was recorded last year in Nashville with great producers Stephen Leiweke and Chris Donohue and host of other excellent Nashville musicians. If you haven't discovered Danni's music before, this album is a little gem of eleven carefully crafted songs, with her sublime pure vocals soaring above the arrangements. All the songs were either written or co-written by Danni.
The album begins with the toe-tapping, blusey and country rock 'Long Road Home' with it's excellent driving percussion, electric guitar hook and lap steel. The tempo drops a little for the tender soulful ballad 'Let Someone Love You', it reminds us a little of Sheryl Crow with it's harmony duo backing vocals and great hook chorus. With its gentle duel guitar picking 'Leaving Tennessee' is another beautifully written love ballad about leaving Nashville and Tennessee. 'Feel Again' is a song about regret and looking back at lost love
The retro 'Look Up At The Mountain' is a real smooth classy song. It's a smokey lounge, Jessica Rabbit kind of a track. The very addictive bluesy almost gospel infused 'Where The Blues Train Goes' is one of our favourites on the album. It has a very catchy guitar solo, lap steel, piano and choir backing vocals.
The lovely 'Beautifully Broken' a song about lost love. It is from its lyrics where the album 'Mockingbird Lane' takes its name. "We were beautifully broken all along, like a scratched '45 of a sad love song. Like empty pearls come unstrung. Can't make it right, when it's wrong". Next is the soulful and sultry 'Back To Memphis'. "Some people, some places, are best left alone"
'Between Forever And Goodbye' has almost American native percussion and strong electric guitar backing, with Danni pure vocal soaringf above it. The stripped 'Sad Swan' just acoustic guitar, lap steel, mandolin, organ and vocal. "You are going the wrong way up the river. You haven't grown your white feathers yet"
The final song on the album is the very catchy blusey/R&B almost retro skiffle 'Travellin' Man' has some super lyrics throughout including "I'm trading in my dreams for dollar bills"
Track Listing
- Long Road Home
- Let Somebody Love You
- Leaving Tennessee
- Feel Again
- Look Up At The Mountain
- Where The Blue Train Goes
- Beautifully Broken
- Back To Memphis
- Between Forever And Goodbye
- Sad Swan
- Travellin' Man