May and Mackie Sutherland, based in Shetland, have been performing for the best part of two decades but this is only the third recording they've made. Well, there's a lot of distilled experience here, because this is a top notch country pop album that would sit happily with a lot of Nashville company.
Eight covers and four of Mackie Sutherland's own songs take in a fairly wide range of the genre, from that well-known country writer, Bruce Springsteen, through Vince Gill to Dolores Keane. Mackie's own songs are excellent; I presume he's tough on himself with the quality control, and that he's got dozens more sitting in a drawer somewhere. "Baby I Need You" has a glorious pop hook, whilst "When I Called To Say Hello" is pure honky tonk, a song Dale Watson would have been proud to write.
May's singing is warm and well-honed, full of nuances that add much to the lyrics; Mackie takes lead vocals, too, and the contrast between the two voices serves them both well. Throughout, the playing from Mackie and the rest of the band is quite excellent, as is the production - everything clear and well balanced.
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There's so much colour in the sound, with steel guitar, fiddle, electric guitar piano and mandolin all making a contribution, the whole driven along by some energetic drumming. The playing is rarely surprising, but it's never hackneyed either, and what is truly surprising is that the whole tone is so authentically American, it's hard to credit that this is music recorded in Lerwick and Kirkwall. Thing is, it'd be nice if everything coming out of Nashville had as much warmth and sense of joy in music as May and Mackie have.
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