Album Review

Seeker Lover Keeper – Seeker Lover Keeper

• 27th Mar 2012

Seeker Lover Seeker starts from the premise that if you bring three successful Australian singer songwriters into one group it will create something memorable. And it all can work out pretty well, as this album shows.

Sarah Blasko. Sally Saltmann and Holly Throsby are long time friends. Their styles are clearly complementary and the fact that they sing each other’s songs here rather than sticking to their own adds a lot to this gentle yet inspiring twelve song collection.

Bring Me Back opens the album with a dreamy lament that has little instrumentation and lush harmonies. It’s atmospheric and Sarah Blasko’s vocals are haunting, passionate and beautiful. Blasko again sings on Light All My Lights and picks up the pace a little. This is an urgent song with repeated hand claps to help it along.

Even Though I’m A Woman is a highlight, a piano driven track telling of regrets in a defiant manner. Holly Throsby has the lead here in a tale of a long distance relationship that isn’t working out and she delivers a fine performance.

Bridges Burned is a well rounded song, as the harmonies build to new levels to back Blasko’s vocals. There is a moody air to the track, yet the fast paced chorus is a great example of how three voices can come together to create something memorable.

The next couple of songs don’t quite stand up to the album’s strong opening. On My Own feels a little flat in comparison to the richness of the emotions in many of the other songs. Sally Saltmann’s delivery is very even and its simple melody feels a little repetitive. Rely On Me uses a drum machine to produce a layered electronic pop song, but it doesn’t work well. This one feels very different, a little experimental perhaps and the title is repeated far too often.

Theme1, a title track in all but name, is the centrepiece of the album. A rich, deep bass line gives it a dark folk meets country feel and the five minute long song doesn’t seem over long at all. It threatens to break out into something more expansive, but doesn’t, instead keeping to the same steady rhythm and cadence throughout.

Every Time has more of a pop feel to it, with more guitar and a nice folky vocal delivery from Sally Saltmann. We Will Know What It Is features delicate guitar work backing a slower lead vocal from Holly Thorsby and the ever present harmonies. And the sombre If The Night Is Dark features a fine vocal from Sally Saltmann, her voice spiralling, high and wistful, before finishing with an emphatic defiance.

Going To Sleep has more instrumental background than most of the songs, with piano, guitar and drums all in the mix. I’m not sure it works so well for that very reason, as the vocals are a less distinct.

The beautiful closer Rest Your Head On My Shoulder is a folk song in the round, with all three singers taking turns to come to the mic. I can see this one working really well on stage, as their voices are all slightly different yet that contrast is a strength and the combination is lovely.

Is Seeker Lover Keeper a supergroup? Probably not. But this unusual collaboration involving three very talented women has resulted in a more than decent album. The production is simple, perhaps as a result of the whole thing being recorded in only two weeks, but that suits the music perfectly. The mix of folk and pop, added to the lovely harmonies that back each lead vocal, has resulted in an unusual sound that is light and entertaining.

This is one to play on a dark night, sitting by an open fire, relaxing with a drink in your hand.