Hymn For Her – a duo comprising Lucy Tight and Wayne Waxing - are certainly not afraid to mix their styles on their latest album. They play all the instruments themselves and bring a certain infectious energy to all that they touch. They sound at times like a couple of precocious kids let loose in a recording studio for the first time, willing to try their hand at anything and everything.
 
On several tracks they go for a high-energy country hoedown feel, often dominated by banjo and harmonica. Their song “Montana” by contrast is heavy metal-ish, complete with Led Zeppelin-style guitar. “Grave” is a sprightly meditation on the imminence of death, and “Not” a surprisingly touching ballad with a simple xylophone hook. The breathy vocal from Tight really brings home the intimate circumstances of the recording. For the whole album was recorded in a tiny trailer – a 16-foot vintage Bambi Airstream – which also serves as their home. 
 
The bluesy “Here” starts with a similar intimate vocal, this time from the male half of the duo, Waxing, but complete with powerhouse electric guitar and harmonica hook. Just when you think they’ve tried about everything, the intro to the last track “Odette” features their young daughter singing, before you hear Tight whispering sweetly “Now let Momma try” before turning in a beautiful unaccompanied vocal performance.
 
If it sounds like a mish-mash of styles, it certainly is. But if you want something a bit different – and it must be said, a bit off-the-wall at times – give Hymn For Her a try. For what the album lacks in coherence, it makes up for with a sort of unbridled enthusiasm from the first note to the last.
 
Yellowmoon