Review by Alanna Eileen

SIMON KELLY & THE LONELY WIVES combine a variety of genres on ‘Eye of the Storm’.  The four songs on the EP are a daring composite of reggae, country, blues and pop.  Combining roots and ska has been done before, but Simon Kelly and his cohorts John Brown and Nathan Sproule give an undeniably fresh and invigorating take on this marriage of musical styles.

Simon Kelly is a Fremantle-based musician who performs both as a soloist and with Brown and Sproule as The Lonely Wives.  He is a great live performer and this translates well onto record.  ‘Eye of the Storm’ is his latest with the band, featuring both new and previously released material.

The title track ‘Eye of the Storm’ opens the album on a summery note, buzzing with energy and triumph.  The beat is strong and fast; it leaves you tapping your foot as you bask in the joyful interplay of guitar, vocals and drums.  Kelly’s soft, relaxed voice floats in a lush bed of reverb that is immediately calm-instilling; as he sings the words “Everybody can you simmer down/Everybody can you please chill out”, you readily obey.

‘Roots Girl’ starts out sounding like a pop song but ends up awash in tasteful reggae inflections that ebb and flow around a fuzzy electric guitar.  A veil of harmony enriches the vocals and gives the track an easy-going vibe; the refrain is singable and catchy.

With its laid-back tempo and ominous minor chords, ‘Gondwana Lady’ changes the mood; it is also a perfect exhibition of Kelly’s clever songwriting.  The introduction of a saxophone halfway through imbues the song with a jazzy feel that adds a distinct new flavour to its roots-reggae mix.  “Everyone knows evolution is true/But that don’t explain just what happened to you,” Kelly sings to the mythic woman of the title; his lyrics are rife with metaphorical imagery.

The band’s expertise is nowhere more evident than on ‘Train’, the closing track.  Here Caribbean rhythms throb to the accompaniment of an echoing guitar as Kelly intones: “Train came and took my girl away/Far away.”  Though these lyrics would not be out of place in an old blues standard – and the song bears the same structure as countless country tunes – it is transformed by a delightfully unorthodox arrangement that is at once refreshing and seductive.  The result of this collision of genres is a pleasant surprise; the pulsating beat entices while the mantra-like repetition in the melody transfixes your ears.  ‘Train’ really is a standout track.

This fun, sunny and often hypnotic offering from Simon Kelly and the Lonely Wives remains cohesive even as it mixes styles; the tracks flow into each other fluidly and make for a very gratifying listen.  You will probably want to take Kelly’s advice and “simmer down” with this EP.