CLUTCHING AT STRAWS – Come What May (Straws Music B00HCLMHZQ)

Come-What-MayHailing from Robert Plant’s stomping ground, Kinver, this mini album is the first release from the  fledgling contemporary folk rock quartet comprising James Wheeler (guitar, violin, mandolin), James Baskett (cello, bass), Thomas Simm (piano, guitar, ukulele) and Jake Mahal (percussion). I can assure you, it won’t be the last. This auspicious debut quietly slipped out late last year, but is deservedly getting another push and should, if justice is done, make them one of the most talked about names on the scene.

Lazy comparisons will automatically mention the Mumfords (though including a cover of ‘Little Lion Man’ in their live set does kind of make it inevitable), but their DNA also shows strands of Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeros, Dreaming Spires, Seth Lakeman and upcoming Birmingham outfit Boat To Row.

Although Wheeler handles the lion’s share of the lead vocals, it’s Simm’s tremulous tones that  take the spotlight on the ridiculously infectious title track which, with its scampering rhythm,  should get any lethargic festival crowd on their feet. Not that the other numbers are sloppy seconds by any means. Nodding to trad and shanty influences in its shifting tempo, Forged Tales shows off their terrific harmonies while an equally catchy ‘Look At You Now’ adds tonal colour with some tasty gently lapping banjo ripples courtesy of  fellow Staffordshire stalwart and acclaimed maestro Dan Walsh.

Taking down  the mood and pace, ‘Love Lost Sold’ has an almost medieval air to it reminiscent of early Jethro Tull while ‘The Price You Paid’ strips everything back to a simple acoustic guitar and interlaced vocals and, introducing clarinet to their palette, ‘Through Your Eyes’ winds things up in magnificent form, building from  an almost hymnal yearning to a full blooded chorus singalong that defies you not to raise your hands to the sky and sway along. With wry wit, they take their name, of course, from the proverb about drowning men and hopeless last acts of desperation. But in a sea too often tossed by waves of mediocrity, they’re a real life raft.

Mike Davies