Larkin Poe

An Acoustic Companion

Tricki-Woo Records

      When sisters Rebecca and Megan Lovell lead the roots and blues rockers Larkin Poe, they inject their Southern Gothic-bred songs with high octane-addictive, modern pop gas. But around the time of the pandemic, the sisters flooded social media with videos of themselves as an acoustic duo in glorious vocal harmony, Rebecca deftly fingerpicking and Megan sliding furiously through a fascinating variety of songs by artists ranging from the Allman Brothers to Pink Floyd. By stripping them to their cores, they revealed the heart of each song, and themselves. Those video workouts led to the 2020 album Kindred Spirits, a riveting collection of twelve covers. Blood Harmony followed late last year, an album full of compelling new originals, delivered in powerhouse form and what has been honed over years now into a signature Larkin Poe sound.

But the Lovell sisters apparently love playing complex acoustic music, and why wouldn’t they? Talented far beyond any norm, they began as the teenaged, bluegrass Lovell Sisters Band with their sister, Jessica. So, on An Acoustic Companion, the ladies reimagine three songs from Blood Harmony and one from early in the Larkin Poe catalog in beautiful, elaborate, acoustic music fashion. And in doing so, they manage to retain the electrifying nature of Larkin Poe—quite a feat.

That aside, these songs are for all intents and purposes, brand new. The greasy, thudding rock of “Bad Spell” on Blood Harmony rises through the ether here in a graveside spooky groove, Rebecca’s gorgeous singing voice pained, the notes from her guitar and Megan’s dobro distinct and probing. In original form, “Strike Gold” conjures an image of flash dancing amid strobe lights. An Acoustic Companion presents it kinetic, its theme of digging deep sung with passion amid a beat that skips with blues and twang. “Southern Comfort” was an alligator tail-dragging rocker. Now it is a plaintive, delicate southern melody, and one that has the power to crush boundaries to dust. And finally, “Stubborn Love” ends the EP in a wistful mode, its sweeping arrangement strikingly different from the new-wavy version Larkin Poe initially released on the now ultra-rare Kin in 2014, and then re-released on Re-Skinned two years later. They were finding their way on the initial take, and have now found it.

Tom Clarke for MAS

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