There is something both primal and angelic about the a cappella introduction to Old Soul, which takes us gently by the hand and leads us into this exquisite album. If music is about emotive communication then Steve McCormick and Heather Donavon, the people behind Love Me In The Dark, are some of the most effective communicators on the planet. With just two entwined voices and the minimal of instrumental backdrops they manage to create a musical pin drop moment like little you have head before. If less is more, then this much less is so much more. More or less.
And it is a charm which they cast over the whole of their self-titled album. Whether it is the lilting and heart felt Circle Up The Wagons, all stomp beats and ethereal guitar lines, the bluesy Imma Hold Ya To It or the languid and lovely lilts of Baby Bird, everything they touch turns to musical gold – understated, gorgeous and vocally impressive.
There are touches of classic era Fleetwood Mac in their more upbeat moments, but a Fleetwood Mac which exists in a parallel world where the core members grew up in the rural south and the love story is less explosive.
Music can be built up into bombastic heights, can overplay its hand, can use studio trickery to hide its flaws, but when it all comes down to it, all you need are great songs delivered well. This and the ability to wrap their voices around each others, not to mention the heart of the listener, is something that Love Me In The Dark have in seemingly unlimited supply.
Original link: https://dancingaboutarchitecture.info/2020/01/18/love-me-in-the-dark-love-me-in-the-dark-reviewed-by-dave-franklin/