A Different Thread are Alicia Best and Robert Jackson, from the US and UK respectively. They met a decade ago whilst busking on the streets of Ireland. They now live in North Carolina. Their international fan-base crowd-funded an album, Over Again, their third studio album which was released earlier this month.
That handful of facts allow you to fill in the story in the gaps – a personal and musical synergy, hard-working gigging across multiple countries, consistent songwriting and playing. As used to be said, they’ve paid their dues. But you can pay your dues without creating an album as good as this.
Over Again has eleven tracks, acoustic, americana-ish. The ‘ish’ indicates that there are other influences and this is a classy, smooth-sounded, assembly of songs on an album which blends ear-worm tunes with complex themes, perfectly pitched arrangements and some great interplay between the two vocals. You can hear this in ‘The Prophet’ in the video below. There’s some neat imagery such as “The Horsemen are arising / Wear a suit and tie”; there’s an ‘iron first in velvet glove’ chorus, i.e. it packs a powerful punch whilst also being easy to sing along with, for example:
“I won’t sing your hallelujah
I won’t wear your starry
Ever since I knew you
You let me down
And your prophets burn me to the ground”
The song has a complex intermingling of personal, religious and environmental in the images of the preacher suggesting it’s easy enough to cross the River Jordan compared with the singer’s observation that:
“… the river bed is dry
and there’s no water left to see
It’s not me who needs your saving
It’s this earth we’re living on
Does it matter who your God is
After all of us are gone”
It would be easy enough just to listen to the gentle catchiness of the melodies which grab attention on the first listen. What I love about the album is that all the tracks repay close attention I’ve given to ‘The Prophet’ above. Three weeks on, Over Again is still opening new gems of writing, playing and arranging. Give it a listen.
As befits the transatlantic combination of the duo, A Different Thread are on tour in the US from mid-June and then on tour in the UK from October. They are playing nearly 20 gigs in a range of the most appealing UK venues – from the Green Note in London to The Cluny in Newcastle and including, for example, pubs in Bath and by the Trent. Details on their website.
Mike Wistow
Artists’ website: https://www.adifferentthread.com
‘The Prophet’ – official video:
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