Willow Hill – Highway One
Willow Hill are a husband and wife duo from Nashville, Tennessee. As you’d expect from country music of Nashville, their music is loud, soulful and unbashful. Unlike most country bands, the two main vocalists are remarkably talented, and their production is stylishly clean. On their debut EP, Willow Hill have done something exceedingly rare in the scene of pop music; release an album of singles that is soulful and charming the entire way through.
Don’t Let the Door Hit You is a remarkable opener; while the climatic riffs are quite enjoyable, it’s the fiddle that steals the show. The vocal performance on More Like a Memory and Can’t Have My Best are both gorgeous; beautifully accompanied by gentle, warm instrumentation. Unfortunately, the last two songs of the album are not as strong. Don’t Threaten Me With a Good Time and Bullet are somewhat jammy the entire way through, though they highlight the weakness in Willow Hill’s songwriting; it’s entirely reliant on pop conventions. A gentle, warm ballad could have closed the EP much more remarkably, as opposed to yet another attempt at a pop song. Nevertheless, Willow Hill seem to be a singles band, and the first three songs are certainly worth your time.
There’s very little technicality to fault with Highway One, though it sounds very reminiscent of everything that inspired it. Furthermore, it struggles sonically to sculpt its own personality over the cannon of country music and relies far too heavily on pop structure. Thankfully, the addition of zany instrumentation, paired with the commendable chemistry between the main couple, makes up for its short comings. Most importantly, if they play live near you; see them – their vocal performance and delivery are excellent.
Above Average
Listen to it here:
Willow Hill – Highway One
