Review – Just As Poor As Before – Lazy Afternoon

The 7-piece outfit from Gotland, a Swedish island, blend Americana, country, folk and rock together. Their latest album, ‘Just As Poor As Before’ is the tightest the band has ever sounded with lively fiddle and country guitar solos adding a new dimension to the record. On the opening track, ‘Who Am I To Say’, the vocals are gorgeous, so clear, bright and well controlled, a classical sounding voice set to banjo and other country instrumentation – it gives the band a unique identity. There is a nice mix of upbeat tracks and ballads throughout the 13 song collection. The highlight for me is the melancholy ‘Song For You’. The vocals quiver in this track which adds to the weight of the emotion of the lyrics, and the harmonies are good in the chorus. ’Wild’ is a toe-tappingly good track to end the record on. It’s a strong record and I can only see the band going from strength to strength over the coming years. As a side note, the album artwork is lush!