Loretta - ​Maiden Songs

Loretta 

​Maiden Songs
self-released; 2016

​3.8 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

Kathryn Ayers (vocals/acoustic guitar/pianet) and Dominique Lemon (mandoline/ukelele/vocals) is the folk duo Loretta. On their album Maiden Songs they play folk music. Not the the folk music you might hear on the radio today. The duo play traditional folk music - the type that you may have heard in the movie O Brother, Where Art Thou? The music feels as organic as the hills themselves. Pure, warm and comforting. 

My only minor issue is I thought the production could have been a smidgen better. Some of the vocal parts sounded a bit raw and the guitars not as full as they could have been. 

They open with “A Song About Trust” which is a highlight. The strings sound great on this track as she seems to singing about a precocious, reflective arguably morbid youngster. Either way the song is delightful.

Up next is another highlight entitled  “Summer Days.” This song sounded like a traditional folk song from way back when. It's beautiful and warm if not also very familiar sounding. “Trickster” showcases some of the vocal harmony skills while “The First Show” has percussive elements that when I first heard them sounded like kitchen utensils. My suspicions were confirmed later when I viewed their Bandcamp page in more detail to see I was in fact correct. 

​They close with the longest track “Lungs” which was a personal favorite. The song is a little more melancholy than the other tracks but works very well. My only advice is for them is to get a bump in production quality next time around. The songs otherwise are well written and delivered. Recommended.

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