Into a market already blessed with female vocal groups of the standard of First Aid Kit and The Staves, the Oklahoma based trio Annie Oakley launch their first album, the exceedingly likeable ‘Words We Mean’.
The band, made up of sisters Sophia and Grace Babb on guitar and vocals, and Nia Personette adding harmonies and violin, create a warm cascading sound, allied to thoughtful emotive lyrics.
From the singalong ‘Pomp and Swell’ with it’s catchy refrain:
What would I be If I didn’t have you? A half of a potion that cast no good spell, a bicycle ride in the dark with no light to flash and to show the pomp and the swell.
to the haunting ‘If I Were A Ghost’:
I’d give my body away if I could slip in and sleep by your side. I’d give my body away if I were a ghost in this house.
Some artists baulk at their work being called “lovely”. Well, with apologies to Annie Oakley, this is an extremely “lovely” album, shorn of any sentimentality that the word may normally entail. It bears repeated play with other standout tracks being ‘Did You Dream’ and ‘Good Things’.
As a debut album, ‘Words We Mean’ has set a high benchmark for Annie Oakley, and I await this band’s growth with anticipation.
‘Words We Mean’ will be released on 12th October 2018 via Horton Records.