Carosel – Star
Star is the new EP from Irish duo Carosel, who are currently going down a storm in France, where singer Michelle Phelan currently resides. It has a Gallic feel to it, with four spunky pop songs that are sure to warm even the most heat-resistant cockles.
The opening track, ‘Star’, is a rapturously uplifting tune that showcases Phelan’s throwback vocal stylings and Pete McGrath’s fantastic melodic arrangements. The whole thing has a very retro feel, being influenced by the Carpenters, Burt Bacharach, and the Beatles, but most closely reflecting the pop stylings of Dionne Warwick and Candi Staton, particularly on sultry smooth ‘Something I Need’.
The press release quotes RTE Radio 1′s Pat Kenny, who states that the duo are “a musical antidote for the times we live in”. He’s right, it’s impossible not to be uplifted by the old-fashioned pop of ‘Easy’ (imagine if Eliza Doolittle was a bit less coquettish) and the warm grooves and catchy refrain of ‘Take Me’.
This is a wonderful EP, and a lovely tease for the band’s upcoming second album, which sounds like something you’ve been listening to for years. At once familiar and enchantingly fresh.
[xrr rating=4/5]
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Nice one Ronan.