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Album Review: Jo Meares - King Of The Crystal Mountain

Chris Familton
StarStarStarStar

King Of The Crystal Mountain is a richly detailed and beautiful set of recordings from start to finish.

Mood and atmosphere are key factors in the creation of immersive and transportive music and Jo Meares' new album is richly imbued with both. Eerie, forlorn harmonica; delicate and heart-wrenching piano; slow, shuffling drums; and exquisite guitar courtesy of Jeff Lang are the backdrop to Meares' tales of love, pain and emotional turbulence, rendered in the talk/sung style of Leonard Cohen yet invested with the gothic country ambience of Howe Gelb (Giant Sand) and Wovenhand. King Of The Crystal Mountain is a richly detailed and beautiful set of recordings from start to finish.