Blood Harmony by Larkin Poe

GRAMMY® Award-Nominated Sister Duo, Larkin Poe (Rebecca and Megan Lovell) Hit it WAY OVER THE FENCE with Blood Harmony

Review by Ike Thomas

Not everyone likes all music. There is no one piece of music throughout history that is universally loved
and lauded by all. Having said that, if you find yourself not loving the new Larkin Poe album, Blood
Harmony, you need to go sit in a corner and think about some of the decisions you’ve made in life and
then listen to it again because this is one of the finest albums I’ve heard in a very, very long time.
Blood Harmony shows why the full length album format still matters. It has the feel of a southern
summer sunrise, one that you know early on is going to build in heat and intensity until it becomes
scorching. Blood Harmony goes there brilliantly. It cooks, it pulls you in and makes you feel the notes,
the earnest lyrics, the personal experiences, the kinship, the conflict, the character, the grooves and, as
titled, the blood harmony.

Listen to the title track Blood Harmony below:

There is a very genuine feel to this album. Lyrically it’s as if a diary was set to music, descriptive and
definitive, each song telling a story, driving home its point with conviction. The dynamic and emotive
vocals are underpinned with a sultry tone and confidant attitude that command attention and fully
reward every bit of that attention. Musically the album, through its production, keeps you closely
engaged with the musicians. It has a very present feel, as if you could be sitting on the tailgate of a truck
with a beverage listening to them perform right in front of you. I’ve long been convinced that excessive
reverb is the reason the dinosaurs went extinct and, thankfully, no such weapons of mass musical
mutation were overly applied here. The exceptional performance skills and instrumental power of the
musicians is perfectly captured and documented in this recording.

This is a complete album, full of high point after high point (#Grammy), packed full of special moments
made up of little gems, the tiny details recognized, created, played, sung, and captured building a truly
masterful work of art. For those reasons I’ll choose to single out only one particularly personal special
moment. The song Might As Well Be Me features a resonator solo that absolutely and perfectly takes
the pain and resignation being delivered in the passionately sung lyrics and launches that to another
level, brilliantly translating words and deep emotion to notes that hit me with an intensity in a way that
only one other solo passage has ever hit me, that one being Jimi Hendrix’s Machine Gun solo on Band of
Gypsys.

Now, you may be thinking I’m a naturally effusive guy with a bright and sunny disposition who posits
positively on most everything. Clearly then we’ve never met. Kudos to Larkin Poe for the beauty and
perfection that is Blood Harmony. This is a spectacular album that readily rewards a deep dive listen.
And, if by now you find you’re maybe still not convinced, your corner awaits you.

Larkin Poe
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