Last month I was fortunate enough to see {South For Winter} play a few gigs while they were down here in Aotearoa, and I was blown away by Nick (acoustic guitar, vocals) and Dani (vocals, mandolin). Although Nick is from Christchurch and Dani from Colorado, they met in Peru when working as volunteers, and soon started making music together. After working together in Christchurch they made the decision to move to Nashville where they met cellist Alex Stradal, and South For Winter became the entity they are today. For this, their 2020 debut album, they brought in some additional musicians so were joined by Chris Kearney (drums and percussion), Evan Clifton (trombone), Matt Leigh (bass) with Garry Wood providing mandolin on Twine.
Having seen them play as both a headline and a support on consecutive nights, much of the material on this album is familiar with me, although it is quite different to hear the songs with a full band (Alex did not make the trip to Aotearoa this time around either). Their style is Americana and folk, and Dani likes to say they play a lot of murder ballads. What really shines through is the passion and power of the vocals, and even when there is a full band Dani cuts through easily. If I were to pick just one song as an example, then it surely must be Ten Black Crowes. This starts gently with an off-beat drum, picked steel and the cello making its presence felt and Dani singing clearly. Nick joins in on the chorus and the song starts to slowly pick up pace and presence, but after the second chorus it just takes off. Now there is real drama, Dani and Nick are singing different lines at the same time, with Nick’s almost classical baritone totally at odds with Dani’s beautiful alto and the song becomes a force which is a real tour de force. It is a highlight of the live set and somehow, they have captured that here as well.
Hearing this album it is possible to easily see how much of a difference Alex makes to the overall sound, as he provides real bottom end and menace against the two singers on Black Widow (In White Lace), another murder ballad, this one about Lavinia Fisher. They use rock elements at times to make a more dramatic point, while it is interesting to hear the instrumental Into the Eye. Here, Nick does his level best to destroy his guitar (memories of Nick Harper), and although it was a solo piece the first time I heard it, he was joined by Pascal for the second show and here is and Alex make it a full duet with each bouncing off each other and creating soundscapes for the other to work with.
South For Winter are a great folk/Americana act who I highly recommend to anyone who has the opportunity to see them play. They are back in the States now and I only hope they come back here next Summer, and I look forward to the next album (in the studio very soon) with great interest.
Rating: 8/10
