Pete Feenstra chatted to Kelly Lethbridge and Jimmy Owen for Get Ready to ROCK! Radio. First broadcast 6 November 2022.

Lethbridge Owen Music [Release date: 21.10.22]

Wolf Moon’s ‘How Do You See Yourself’ is a triumph of song craft, intuitive interplay, magical harmonies and musical motifs that embed themselves in the mind.

You could almost ask the band the same question that their album title poses, in as much as their musical style straddles a retro AOR folk-rock arc, fleshed out by strong songs and musical exuberance which gives them sparkle and polish. In other words are they trying to reinvent the wheel, or genuinely forging something of their own?

The album confirms the latter. So even though their name change from Lethbridge Owen to Wolf Moon still falls short of a complete re-brand, their mid-70’s West coast musical sweep is shot through with contemporary production values, spine tingling harmonies and the afore mentioned song craft to make it something unique in today’s musical landscape.

Their musical antecedents remain exactly the same as before – think the nascent Buckingham Nicks and post Peter Green Fleetwood Mac – with subtle echoes of Eric Johnson and perhaps the lesser celebrated Bob Welch.

The latter’s soft rock approach and mellifluous vocal style informed much of what became the ‘Rumours’ line-up and his harmony laden and melodic approach is an inherent part of an album like this.

What gives this splendid band line up of Jimmy Owen (guitars/vocals) Kelly Lethbridge vocals, Emily Francis (synths/keys), Eric Stams (drums) and Noah Nelson (bass) their majesty, is an essential exploratory feel which pushes them into original arrangements.

Everything has a sense of place, whether it’s alternate lead vocals and harmony guitars on ‘Just To Hear It Back’, the catchy chorus of ‘Love In The Sun’, the unexpected moments of electronica, subtle percussion and hypnotic repeated hook of the uplifting ‘Tell Me What I Don’t Know’, or indeed Owen’s core guitar line on the outstanding opener ‘Variation on a Feeling’.

It’s also an album threaded with a wistful aesthetic ranging from Alicia Raitt’s art work, through duo’s own experience and imagination. For example, there’s an enveloping feel at the core of the mesmerising opener ‘Variation Of A Feeling’, which via the slightest hint of reggae is resolved by an intricately woven, deep toned solo. It finishes with a pulsing amoeba style outro that leaves an aching void.

The single ‘Love In The Sun’ is predicated on Erik Stams’s lovely percussion, Jimmy incisive lead vocal and the duo’s rich harmonies.

We are imperceptibly drawn into a familiar mid 70s’s West Coast folk-rock tableaux born of silky harmonies and lingering melodies, framed by a beautiful layered sound and sumptuous hooks.

And if there was ever any doubt about the way the duo wear their musical hearts on their sleeves, they are quickly dispelled by a cover of Buckingham Nicks breakthrough song ‘Frozen Love’.

It perfectly melds Wolf Moon’s trademark folk rock with a proggy undertow. Their use of space and Owen’s deft touch on the guitar driven slow-build is mesmerising, as he evokes Eric Johnson and ushers in the duo’s shimmering vocals to provide the perfect resolution to a brilliant cover.

Championed all those years ago by Alabama’s WJLN-FM Alabama rock station, it might not have been the moment soft rock was born, but it certainly became a significant moment in terms of an emerging musical influence.

This album illustrates the point, as it celebrates and updates the duo’s Californian musical influences, born of beautiful melodic shapes and defining cadences.

Wolf Moon is also about the integrity of the song, whether it’s the right choice of notes to evoke an emotion, or subtle harmonic emphases that create a mood and feel.

There’s a dynamic ebb and flow, be it the rhythmic tension and acapella finish of ‘Give Me My Heart’ or the contrasting catchy hook of the very commercial ‘Love In The Sun’, delivered over a gently thumbed bass line.

The harmony duet on ‘Smiled At By You’, is another radio friendly song that could actually be mistaken for being Buckingham Nicks. What makes the difference is an open ended style that sometimes provides an unexpected musical diversion.

On the very catchy ‘Hold On’, a Christine McVie style opening piano line gives way to Kelly’s very best phrasing and subsequent vocal gymnastics.

‘Colours I Dream In’ is an aptly titled song that could be a comment on the band’s own song writing, as they capture a moment in time over some delicate percussion.

Everything flows into the final Kelly vocal on ‘Very Best Version Of Me’, which moves from a fusion style opening to an uplifting animated vocal.

The ironic thing about this album is that for all their excellent songs and intricate playing, it’s their rearrangement of Buckingham Nicks ‘Frozen Love’ that will probably draw most people to this album.

The most significant thing about that is the way they re-interpret it, refresh it and make it their own, suggesting that Wolf Moon have learned from the best to forge their beguiling style. ****

Review by Pete Feenstra

Featured Artist: JOSH TAERK

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David Randall presents a weekly show on Get Ready to ROCK! Radio, Sundays at 22:00 GMT, repeated on Mondays and Fridays), when he invites listeners to ‘Assume The Position’. The show signposts forthcoming gigs and tours and latest additions at getreadytorock.com. First broadcast on 1 December 2024.

UK Blues Broadcaster of the Year (2020 and 2021 Finalist) Pete Feenstra presents his weekly Rock & Blues Show on Tuesday at 19:00 GMT as part of a five hour blues rock marathon “Tuesday is Bluesday at GRTR!”. The show is repeated on Wednesdays at 22:00, Fridays at 20:00). This show was first broadcast 3 December 2024.

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Power Plays w/c 9 December 2024

In this sequence we play ‘The Best of 2024′ GRTR! reviewer selections

Featured Albums w/c 9 December 2024

09:00-12:00 The Best of 2024 (Melodic Rock)
12:00-13:00 The Best of 2003-2024 (Melodic Hard Rock)
14:00-16:00 The Best of 2024 (Singer Songwriter)