Larkin Poe is back with a Venom and Faith it is a bluesy rock feel. The first track is Sometimes, it has sultry voice with the beat to keep one’s toe tapping. This is a great blues song brought into the modern day from a talented band. This is a cover that is just as great as the original. The second song on the album is Bleach Blonde Bottle Blues, this writer connects with this song thanks to teen years, beginning with a riff that goes along with a powerful voice. These ladies know how to play a mean guitar. It goes from a simple riff to a souis back with their fourth new album titled Venom and Faith. A duo based out of Nashville, these sisters know how to play guitar and make good bluesy rock music. LARKIN POE spent part of this year so far on the road playing sets at Savannah Stopover, Bonnaroo and Lollapalooza. The American blues are alive on this album on their original songs as well as Sometimes by blues legend Bessie Jones and the song Hard Time Killing Floor Blues from Skip James. Their sound is uniquely their own and it reaches to the core of the soul.
Starting off the album is the cover for Something it has a beautiful guitar solo ending with a powerful electrifying vocal. This will make a fan out of anyone. The name of the song may throw some people for a loop, but it is a wonderful blues soulful song. Honey Honey comes in as the third track and it is special. It is special because the title Venom and Faith came from a lyric, not only that is it a rocking blues song. The sound is somewhere between gothic an angelic with gritty guitar and strong voices. This may be in this writer’s opinion my new favorite LARKIN POE song. The angelic vocals mixed with a bit of grit will make any an all southerners proud.
Tyler Bryant is featured on the next tune titled Mississippi. Another good toe-tapping song with wonderful composition. The guitar playing is a high light on this song. It is strong and sultry just like a hot southern summer day. California King infuses blues rock with hip-hop soul, a song that has crossed all genres. An eerie beginning with a mean guitar and sexy vocal, it is all California. The sound is unlike others on this album but that is all good. A fantastic song to play while cleaning or sipping hot tea while staring off into space. An echo voice that will stay in one’s head throughout the day, but in a good way. The next song is Blue Ridge Mountains with its incredible riffs that goes right to one’s soul and the percussion that rips through one’s heart. A that will put one in another place with its eerie beginning. It is one that will be a song to sway to and then it begins to pick up with beautiful sweet riffs that will drift one into space. The new modern blues meets a small amount of EDM drum beats and likes it. It is like a delicate soufflé trifle that builds until it needs to be stirred up and eaten. Listening to this song will remind one of how great guitars are.
Next up is Ain’t Gonna Cry, Rebecca’s vocals on this particular song will make anyone cry. This hits the heart like no other on this album. It is like an unexpected thunderstorm on a hot southern evening. It will crush one into tears just like thunder and lightning. The guitar in this song alone is like tears streaming down one’s face. Don’t let the name fool, it will make one cry. Hard Time Killing Floor Blues is another cover, it was originally by Skip James. This is a thumping blues song that will leave one wanting more. The guitar riffs along with the percussion is a stand out on this cover. The duo has made it just as good as the original. Uniquely their own style of modern blues that combines a soulful and guitar riffs and solo that no one can top. This is the new blues sound.
Good and Gone is the last track and with Megan’s lap steel it is a pleasant and powerful way to end this extraordinary album. The lap steel will be what is memorable and will continue to play over and over in one’s head once the music stops. A strong ending to Venom and Faith which is released on November 9, 2018, it will make a great holiday gift for anyone. This is an album that shows all the talent of these young ladies. It is something of a trek or a journey so to speak. What is meant by this is, as a writer who has been lucky enough to have been at the very first CD release party at Terminal West in Atlanta, GA to seeing Larkin Poe at Savannah Stopover this past March and then again at Bonnaroo a month later, it is extremely enjoyable to see the journey of talented musicians. Rebecca and Megan love music and their style of music is what dreams are made of. A little rock, a little, blues, a little hip-hop beats, a little EDM, and altogether with a lot of soul, this blend is LARKIN POE. The full album is like having a southern sweet tea while sitting in porch swing of an old southern house on a hot summer day. It is that great. Check out the album and see them live.
Venom & Faith
Track listing
1. Sometimes
2. Bleach
8. Ain’t Gonna Cry
9. Hard Time Killing Floor Blues
10. Good And Gone Blonde Bottle Blues
3. Honey Honey
4. Mississippi (Feat. Tyler Bryant)
5. California King
6. Blue Ridge Mountains
7. Fly Like An Eagle