Australian trio The Waifs have built a solid and deserved reputation by successfully blending folk pop and roots to create their own niche of catchy acoustic songs with great harmonies and lyrics. It’s seen them take their music from Australia to the UK and the US and pick up a great following along the way. All 3 of the group, sisters Donna & Vicki and Josh have all settled in the US, which seems like a natural journey as their music has always had much in common with contemporary Americana, but all presented with a unique Australian flavour that makes it stand out from the crowd.
Their trademark harmonies are all present and correct; with the sisters providing some beautiful vocals over mainly acoustic arrangements provided by Cunningham’s guitars, banjo & mandolin; they bring in two musicians to provide bass and percussion and complete the Waifs’ sound.
One of the band’s strengths is the fact that all of the trio are songwriters, and all with fairly distinct styles. The result is that it creates real variety across the album, ranging from the tracks that are founded in dark and intense religious Americana, through to the retro pop of ‘Beautiful Night’, and songs of loss and reality in ‘Goodbye Darlin’.
Whatever the lyrical theme and emotions on show, the trio present their songs with real style – the harmonies are delicate and unforced, the arrangements relaxed and melodic and there’s a real feeling of warmth that comes over in the songs.
‘Temptation’ is an excellent album, it’s easily identifiable as The Waifs with their song themes, harmonies and presentation, and in this case that’s definitely a good thing.
Track listing
1 Learn The Hard Way
2 Buffalo
3 Just Like Me
4 Beautiful Night
5 Moses And The Lamb
6 Falling
7 Somedays
8 Drifting Dreaming
9 Daydreamer
10 Temptation
11 Goodbye Darlin
12 Boy (bonus track)
review 03 June 2011
