Cheers to a great album
Ever heard of the phrase “too many cooks in the kitchen?” It refers to the idea that if too many creative people are in one group, it winds up being detrimental to the product they put together. If this analogy was used for music, it would mean that if too many songwriters tried to compose together, they wouldn’t be able to come up with anything good.
The Wild Reeds are the perfect example of a band that could run into these potential problems, as their nucleus consists of three primary songwriters: Kinsey Lee, Mackenzie Howe and Sharon Silva. All three women compose equal shares of the band’s material, play multiple instruments and share lead vocals, as has been the case since the band’s inception in 2010. But instead of faltering under the creative volume, The Wild Reeds have flourished, releasing two enjoyable albums in 2014 and 2017, respectively. They began as simply a folk trio before adding elements of indie rock and pop to their sound, which caused them to expand their lineup to include bassist Nick Phakpiseth and drummer Nick Jones. Now in 2019, the band has just released a new record, Cheers, which is their most diverse to date.
Part of this can be traced to the fact that the band decided that instead of writing all the music collaboratively, as they had before, Lee, Silva and Howe were free to develop songs on their own. This means that each songwriter gets a chance to show off individually. Lee’s best moment is the aggressive guitar downstrokes and pop punk sass of “P.S. Nevermind,” while Howe shines on the catchy keyboard-laden opener, “Moving Target.” In contrast, Silva is strongest on the lovely and melancholy “Don’t Pretend,” which does a great job of tugging at the heartstrings. The most fun song is “Telepathic Mail,” which both channels shades of Motown and shows all three singers teaming up for what could possibly be the world’s slickest three-part harmonies. Not to be forgotten, the two Nicks do a great job maintaining a tight rhythm throughout as well.
Overall, The Wild Reeds have done an excellent job growing as songwriters and creating a fun and interesting product, and as long as each writer continues to have the freedom to create, the band should keep churning out quality music.
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