A while ago I had the great pleasure of recording on the Jellyman’s Daughter’s first album. This young duo, comprising the compositional and songwriting skills of Graham Coe (‘cello and voice) and Emily Kelly (guitar and voice) impressed the socks off me when I first heard them. In places bluegrass inspired, with choppy cello riffs, Graham takes the instrument to places that other cellists cannot go. Emily’s vocal tone and range, and her ability to vocally ‘soar’ with power and grace makes her voice quite unique, and together they combine with a vocal quality reminiscent of the Civil Wars, which is some accolade. Their writing lends itself to stand-out bass playing, such as the track ‘The One You’re Leaving’, which is made up of straight cello chops against a heavily swung, clave-based bass part (listen below), a ‘hold on tight’ live moment! Happily, the album has been heralded as one of the ‘Top 50 Scottish Albums of 2014’ (featured in the picture, just above another great album by Blue Rose Code, which my wonderful bass mentor-guru-dude Danny Thompson played on! Such a small world…). So, the guys will no doubt be celebrating a successful year at the toll of the bells tomorrow – and they deserve to! If you haven’t bought yourself enough music this year, get hold of this album. You won’t regret it!
Listen to ‘The One You’re Leaving’ here