There is a truly atrocious back-story to the creation of this album and the split of Simone Felice from the Felice Brothers, but it is horrible and personal and I am not going to go into it. It is partly because of that back-story, however, and partly because of how much I like the Felice Brothers themselves, that I really wanted to like this album.  I don’t, however, and there’s no escaping it, so there you go.

Why don’t I like it?  Well it’s just soft and rather wet Americana-pop I suppose.  The summery harmonies and the laid back rhythms just don’t grab me at all, and in fact seem really lifeless and lacking in backbone.  There’s even something of a soft rock balladry about some of it, like the atrocious Summer Morning Rain, which really is not something I enjoy at all.

Lyrically it’s actually a rather heart-wrenching album, but for some reason the music used to convey the sentiments themselves just doesn’t quite have the right impact with me. I guess I just find the sound to be smooth and slightly sugary, which is really not my aesthetic to begin with, so given that none of the tunes really stick in my head and make me want to hum them I think the sooner me and this record part ways the better, sorry.

The Duke & the King – If You Ever Get Famous

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The Duke & the King – Summer Morning Rain

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