Rating: NNN
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With a Brady Bunch lineup of two follicularly endowed brother-sister pairs, a talent for gilded harmonies, a blatant affinity for doo-wop soul and countrified folk-pop and even melodica and glockenspiel solos (!), there’s a lot to love about England’s Magic Numbers. The quartet’s self-titled debut is warm and fuzzy, with head songwriter Romeo Stodart mending his broken heart in a curious half-Brit drawl while sister Michele chimes in with gorgeous whoa-ohs. Somehow, though, I don’t always buy his bruised boyfriend act: too many songs repeat similar sentiments without breaking new ground. And while they’ve got a bunch of great tunes – I See You, You See Me is a stunning Gram-‘n’-Emmylou-style sad-sack duet, Mornings Eleven is a delightful Partridge Family pop romp, and album closer Hymn For Her is divinely sombre – there aren’t enough standout numbers to justify the “instant classic” hype trumpeted by the UK press.
