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Kerbside “Anything Strange” (Independent 2005)
by Jeremy Searle, Americana-UK
Kerbside are Sean & Kimberley Lightholder, originally from San Francisco, but now based in Ireland, and “Anything Strange” is their debut album. They played a 15 minute slot at the Cambridge Folk Festival at the end of July and, having witnessed it, I can attest that their graduation to bigger and better things cannot be long delayed. Live they purvey soulful acoustic pop like the jaunty “College Town”, which has a beat you have to dance to and a chorus you have to sing, and the bouncy intensity of “10 Minute Anniversary”. When you hear the album though, there’s a deeper, darker side to their music. On “Talk”, a post-relationship plea to a former lover, Sean brings a haunting intensity to his vocals which Kimberley complements perfectly. Sean’s a bit of a lyric star too, as “Chastity”’s “she said I’m not expecting much/he said, well that leaves room for me” and “Mahal Ko”’s “I’ll take you out in the harsh light/bleach you out, blind you hard/and put you away” can testify. There are also some nice instrumental touches scattered across the songs, from “Chastity”’s snatches of Hammond organ to the mandolin on “Indian Dance”, the only cover here. Duos and duets seem to be on the rise, one thinks of The Arlenes, The Havenots and the recent pairing of Thad Cockrell and Caitlin Cary. Kerbside can be mentioned in the same company, and “Anything Strange” is highly recommended. www.kerbside.ie Jeremy Searle 7 out of 10