Birds Of Chicago - Real Midnight (2016) CD-Rip

Roots band Birds of Chicago formed in 2012 as a collaboration between Chicago's JT Nero (JT & the Clouds) and Vancouver's Allison Russell (Po' Girl). Although both singer/songwriters were actively leading their own projects, their combined efforts were convincing enough to make a go of it and they set about recording their debut. Though a talented songwriter in her own right, a big part of the Birds of Chicago sound came from the material Nero had written specifically for Russell to interpret, and it was their combined voices that won over fans on 2012's self-titled Birds of Chicago LP. Mixing folk, mountain gospel, soul, and rock, the two bandleaders and a revolving cast of players became a well-seasoned touring act, and in 2013 delivered the concert album Live from Space. To make their follow-up studio album, they enlisted Grammy-winning producer Joe Henry and spent 2015 recording Real Midnight, which was released early the following year.
Real Midnight is the second long player from roots combo Birds of Chicago and, with its poignant songwriting and richly realized production -- courtesy of Grammy-winner Joe Henry -- it raises the band's profile considerably. The sweet and sour vocal mix of Allison Russell and JT Nero remains at the center of their sound, which continues to tread the dusty Americana roads of country, soul, folk, and rock. There's a newfound depth in their songs and tasteful arrangements that rely less on crowd-pleasing roots rockers and more on understated, subtly built mood pieces that tug at the heartstrings. From the bittersweet nostalgia of "Remember Wild Horses" to the spooky a cappella rave-up of "Barley" and the moody country-soul of the title track, this is the sound of a band coming into its own.
~ Timothy Monger, All Music