Further Adventures of Darling Cory, is Lehto and Wright's second album, the first being Ye Mariners All. The first time I played this album, it put me in mind of Little Johnny England and Show of Hands, as the guitar styles are very similar. Nothing wrong with that, and if you are a fan of either of those bands, you will be sure to love this album, for it is brilliant.
For the benefit of the uninitiated, maybe on the east side of the Atlantic who have not yet heard of Lehto & Wright, let me introduce you. Steve Lehto and John Wright, a folk rock duo, are the basis of the band on the album. They come from the "Twin Cities" of Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota in the US (music editor's note: my home town!). They have been playing as a duo, or a trio when they add Matt Jacobs on drums, for about 3 years. Matt joins the duo on drums for most of the tracks on this album, but apart from the occasional guest musician, the principals multitrack the other instruments mixing acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin and fretless bass.
From this you will deduce that this very much a studio production, but Lehto and Wright are nevertheless both extremely talented musicians. Understandably they will be greatly revered by other musicians. John Wright plays acoustic guitar, bass, and mandolin. Steve Lehto plays acoustic and electric guitar, and mandolin. Wright takes all the lead vocals and has a fine voice, while the harmonies by Lehto work very well. It is to their credit that Lehto & Wright are futuristic and not afraid of trying new or different effects, one of which is a back delayed echo effect on the vocals of the songs 'Arthur McBride and the Sergeant', and 'Waist Deep in the Big Muddy'. This may not be to everyone's liking at first, but the more I listened to it, the more acceptable it became. This is my only tiny criticism of a near perfect album.
Lehto & Wright show a spirited and aggressive style to their arrangements. Most are traditional English, Irish and American songs and dance tunes, often played with an intuitive sharpness on acoustic instruments then rising with a passion using the electric guitar and fretless bass. This is demonstrated beautifully by three of the tracks: the medley of 'Gan Ainm, The Three Little Drummers, The Trouble with Strings', the song 'Flora' and 'The Monaghan Jig', which starts with John playing the lead on a fretless bass before the other instruments come in. It really is a superb arrangement. The album takes its title from the song 'Darling Cory', an old Weavers classic. Lehto & Wright's arrangement is somewhat livelier, to say the least, with a rock treatment.
There is plenty of variation on this album. Following 'Darling Cory' is a beautiful slow tune 'The Lament for Limerick' played by Steve Lehto on acoustic guitar, with some double tracking towards the end using the mandolin and harp guitar. Lehto plays solo again on another track with the traditional Scottish tune 'Loch Lomond'. this serves as a back drop for the medley 'The Yellow Wattle', An Phis Fliuch', and 'The Mountain Road'. It all works very well with the first two tunes played on electric guitars with just a little bit processing and distortion.
To add even more variation to Darling Cory, at track 14 is a nice acoustic arrangement of 'Kisses Sweeter Than Wine' sung by John Wright. This is followed by 'Handsome Johnny / The Humours of Whitegate'. The last song finds Wright with acoustic guitar singing 'Her Washbin', and then the album bows out, as it started, with some mood music called 'Horn'. It's very clever really, as it leaves you wanting to hear more --the best way to leave an audience!
Conclusion: this is a well-thought-out, nicely-produced album, with good material that is very well played and sung. In short it is a very entertaining album. It exudes that magic that makes this reviewer want to see the band perform live, but if that's not possible, I will certainly be looking forward to their next album. This album is a benchmark that will influence others. Get it as soon as you can.
