▄▄ [ INFORMATION ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
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█ ARTIST: Miranda Sykes and Rex Preston █
█ TITLE: Miranda Sykes and Rex Preston █
█ LABEL: Hands on Music █
█ GENRE: Folk █
█ BITRATE: 229kbps avg █
█ PLAYTIME: 0h 39min total █
█ RELEASE DATE: 2012-00-00 █
█ RIP DATE: 2012-03-11 █
█ URL: █
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▄▄ [ TRACKLIST ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
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█ 01. One Man Time 3:36 █
█ 02. Only One Way 3:02 █
█ 03. Love Is Not A Flower 3:46 █
█ 04. So Are You To Me 2:22 █
█ 05. Between Sheets 3:16 █
█ 06. Sweet Pea,Mean To Me 3:22 █
█ 07. A Kiss In The Morning Early 3:40 █
█ 08. Trouble 4:04 █
█ 09. I Tell Myself 2:32 █
█ 10. Rain 2:59 █
█ 11. AM 2:35 █
█ 12. One Good Year 3:59 █
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▄▄ [ NOTES ] ▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄▄
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█ Co-produced by Rex Preston and Joe Rusby, Miranda Sykes and Rex's █
█ self-titled debut album as a duo opens with a song written by Joe's █
█ sister Kate, Old Man Time, which appeared on Rusby's debut solo album █
█ way back in 1997. With a delicate touch, Miranda bows her double bass █
█ whilst Rex embellishes each phrase with his dextrous command over the █
█ mandolin, bringing a new sound to our ears. If at first our expectations █
█ were slightly suspicious as to precisely what a double bass/mandolin █
█ combination would sound like, our fears are quashed before the end of █
█ the opening song, which concludes with an arrangement reminiscent of █
█ Pachelbel's baroque Canon. That's how well it works. █
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█ Miranda chooses wisely on this album, bringing new arrangements to such █
█ engaging contemporary British material as Karine Polwart's Only One Way, █
█ which includes such memorable lines as 'you can't believe a man would █
█ lie through such nice teeth', to our American songwriting cousins, Patty █
█ Griffin's Rain and Slaid Cleaves One Good Year. Swapping the giant four █
█ stringed instrument for a tiny one, Miranda gleefully strums the ukulele █
█ whilst revisiting Sweet Pea/Mean to Me, originally released on the SWEET █
█ PEA EP (2010). It is however with Miranda's almost ethereal vocal █
█ performance on Imogen Heap's Between Sheets that makes the listener sit █
█ up and listen. █
█ █
█ Taking lead vocals on a couple of songs, Rex shows his versatility with █
█ the traditional A Kiss in the Morning Early and the Ryan Roberts song █
█ Love is Not a Flower. 4am meanwhile reveals an understanding of his █
█ chosen instrument, with an inventive mandolin instrumental, which █
█ sleepily evokes the darkest hour just before dawn. █
█ █
█ Meeting in 2009 when Miranda guested with Rex's band the Scoville Units, █
█ the duo have since discovered a sublime musical empathy, which has █
█ proved to work tremendously well in both intimate live settings and now █
█ on record too. With both musicians having busy schedules throughout the █
█ year in each of their respective projects, it is hoped that MIRANDA █
█ SYKES & REX PRESTON will be followed up in due course with something █
█ equally appealling. █
█ Allan Wilkinson █
█ Northern Sky █
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