Handful of Luvin’ is happy feet music. The diverse four piece from the Seattle area offers up energy filled roots rock Celtic influenced tracks on their new release Life In Between.
Did you every listen to an album several times, loved it, and then were left feeling perplexed as to how to define it? Handful of Luvin’has a tendency to make you feel that way. No worries though, it’s all good.
When you hear “There’s No Right, There’s No Wrong” you will be sent to a place where you rarely can go, musical paradise. This one has single written all over it. Its most definitely their most pop influenced accessible track on the album. The thirteen tracks range from roots rock with a Celtic slant to all out foot stompers that would make even a heavily sedated nursing home patient get up and cut a rug.
David John (vocals and guitar), Andrew Joslyn (violin/viola), Patrick Files (bass) and Michael Knight (drums) are the men that make these irresistible sounds. John sounds like a cross between Leo Sayer (who had a few good years in the 70’s) and Simply Red (who had a few good years in the 80’s). I rather like the vocals, his style fits the music quite well. There always seems to be that one instrument that transforms a band into something totally different that people will find unique. In this case it’s the violin and viola of Joslyn. Check out the instrumental “Harry Met Rona". It will make you want to jump on a plane and go to Ireland to kiss the blarney stone, say three hail Mary’s then thank the god lord you are alive to hear such beautiful music.
I don’t know what else to say about this CD except that it immediately got my attention and I felt compelled to listen to it several more times just so I could feel good all over again. Happy music for tough times, how can you go wrong?
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
July 22, 2010
Key Tracks: Harry Met Rona, There’s No Right, There’s No Wrong, Kickdrum
