Wildy's World

The Ericksons – The Middle Of The Night
2008, The Ericksons Music

Let’s start by talking about the voices. The Ericksons are blessed with two amazing voices, both dark-timbered altos that mix and match so well you can lose sight of where one ends and the other begins. Fans of Amy Fradon and Leslie Ritter will be very pleased with the Ericksons. The Mid-western sisters are based out of Brooklyn these days, but travel the East Coast of the US in support of their debut album, The Middle Of The Night. The CD opens with Northwind, a melodic guitar-based folk song that allows The Ericksons sufficient stage to show off their vocal harmonies. One More Time continues in the same vein. Money Grows On Trees misses the mark a bit but still provides for a great vocal performance.

Darkest Places is a song born of sadness and fear, running away from the shadows in musical terms. There are multiple levels of meaning woven into the lyrics and arrangement that only suggest themselves beyond the face of the songs. What If is a hopeful pining love song where The Ericksons are at their very best. My personal favorite track on the album is I Believe In You, featuring a dark and lovely harmony and angelic harmonies that will give you chills. Be sure also to make time for We Write It Down and Please, Please, Please; both lovely songs.

The Ericksons have a sound that makes them highly distinctive and pleasant to listen to. The Middle Of The Night has a mix of songs that run from mundane through to highly enjoyable. At their best, The Ericksons may be one of the finest vocal duos in the musical world. There are moments where they seem to get a little disconnected from one another, but these pass quickly. This is a very enjoyable album.

Rating: 3 Stars (Out of 5)

You can learn more about The Ericksons at www.myspace.com/theericksonsmusic. You can purchase a copy of The Middle Of The Night at www.cdbaby.com/cd/ericksons.