Back in 2019 husband and wife duo act The HawtThorns created a wave with a thoroughly enjoyable and impressive album in MORNING SUN. Three years on, KP and Johnny Hawthorn are back in tandem, and if you thought the previous record couldn't be surpassed, then stand up to have this assertion corrected. It can be a positive experience witnessing music moving positively forward even if you join an act in mid career. TAROT CARDS & SHOOTING STARS is one such experience and there is every shout that this record can gallop towards a fond reflection when the dust settles on the calendar year. However before we propel that far forward let's step back and assess how things are evolving in the early months of 2022.
The HawtThorns are a musical enterprise that starts at the fringes, but doesn't fray from drifting into the middle ground. When making this move the songs are so well equipped and constructed that a glossy sheen of delivery only polishes up what is already an astoundingly good product. Settling on ten songs creates an orderly feel and they have few qualms in slotting in a Neil Young cover alongside the others that all have a Hawthorn writing stamp on them.
Both KP and Johnny have had extensive careers prior to hooking up in this format for the debut aforementioned 2019 album. Subsequently the pair have relocated from their original California base to Nashville. It doesn't take too many listens to note the influence of their new home. The move took place in 2020, so there has been plenty of downtime to craft the wares of the new album.
While the sound is not afraid to challenge country pop on its own territory, coming from a hardened Americana edge gives the carefree and easy listening songs a potent sheen. The melodies are sublime and the 39-minute playing time goes by in a flash.
This playing time opens with the sparkling and catchy 'All the Right Reasons' with more than the odd popular song title featuring in the lyrics. Close on 40 minutes later 'When Georgia Cries' de-accelerates the pace to a restful conclusion. In between there are four absolute pinnacle moments that lift the album as a serious impactful contender.
'Let's Get Together' pulls all the key components together with a killer chorus powering a playlist candidate. You can seek for associations and I'm going to plump for Little Big Town or Lady Antebellum in their prime early days before a repetitive blandness kicked in. 'One Human at a Time' is a spine tingling - hair raising addition possessing the fetching lyric 'we'll get through this paradigm' in the chorus. 'This One is Ours' and 'It's a Gift' get into the top quartile partly on the back of guitar work that is both gorgeous and effective.
The Neil Young cover 'Lotta Love' slots in the first half like a sweet 70s summer breeze, while you can find the album title nestled in the lyrics of the nostalgia strewn 'On the Way' in the the playing order's second slot. The final two tracks - 'Keep it Alive' and 'The One Got Away' - are further examples of The HawtThorns finding their plateau and living up to a high standard across the piece.
TAROT CARDS & SHOOTING STARS fires the engine of the perfect release to create a go-to template when you yearn for simple, bright and buoyant songs. KP sings impeccably, Johnny plays admirably, the rest of the team chip in and The HawtThorns have delivered an album to savour.