Timber, Family Review
Timber is comprised of Janet Simpson and Will Stewart, who got together when Stewart was working with his country-soul band Willie and the Giant in Nashville, Tennessee. Stewart decided to enhance his songs with keyboards and vocals. Simpson, who had worked with Wooden Wand, Delicate Cutters, and Teen Getaway, came up as a candidate to consider. Preparing to leave for Europe with Wooden Wand, Simpson had a small window to get to the studio and contribute her talents. The collaboration was a success, later Stewart contacted Simpson to gauge her temperature on writing together. As their musical chemistry developed, and they collaborated back and forth honing what would be their sound, they met at Ol Elegante Stuidio in Birmingham, AL. At the production helm producer Lester Nuby helped them work out the nuances of what would become their self-titled debut. Now in 2018, they are releasing an even stronger effort with their EP, The Family, which encompasses eight delightful tracks. That’s the short of it!
Positives:
Simpson and Stewart offer the listener a songcraft that is emotionally lasting, and vocals that blend together with meaning.
Bottom Line:
The Family is filled with introspection and deeply meaningful lyrics. The songs traverse a myriad of subjects that deal with human life. Simpson has a light and warming voice that offers a reserved yet Delphian quality. The sparse instrumentation adds to the song’s dynamism. Stewart has a haunting voice, the two divvy up the singing duties, creating a nice textural planate. Together they have created a pensive listen that is filled with beauty in every nook and cranny.