new music: birds of chicago make longing into an art form on ‘real midnight’ #soundcheck

It’s a rare kind of chemistry that buoys Birds of Chicago. Their sparse arrangements and unadorned songwriting becomes a platform to highlight the partnership between JT Nero and Allison Russell. Their voices blend and bounce of each other, often trading lead vocal duties in the course of a verse. Real Midnight is stunning in its stripped-backness, and utterly heart-rending.

By Nathan Leigh, AFROPUNK Contributor

From the opening strains of “Dim Star of the Pallisades,” Birds of Chicago specialize in the timeless blend of country blues, folk, and soul that Pa Staple made his stock and trade. Rarely rising above a single guitar and piano, the songs sustain an emotional build simply from the arresting power of the singers voices. “Remember Wild Horses,” twists the pain of nostalgia into something gorgeous, while “Real Midnight” stretches the tension of longing to its breaking point.

The duo leans heavily on their roots, nowhere more apparent than on clap-driven vocal folk of “Barley.” It makes a song like “The Good Fight” feel a little out of place. Nevertheless, the pop folk song that may well have been a hit back when Joni Mitchell roamed the Earth stands out as one of the best on the album. A showcase for sweet musicality of nostaliga cultivated by the Birds of Chicago.

The album is out today and a must-have for any fan of folk and old soul.

Photo by Natalie Ginele Miller