Posted on: July 20, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Blue Skies For Black Hearts – Love Is Not Enough / 2007 King of Hearts / 10 Tracks / http://www.blueskiesforblackhearts.com / http://www.kingofheartsrecords.com /

Blue Skies For Black Hearts start off their ‘Love Is Not Enough” with “Here Comes The Rain”. The band wants you to imagine them as a seventies pop act, and the smoothed-out, half organic half electronic sound of “Here Comes The Rain” does a lot to solidify the band’s relation to that sound.  The band goes back a few more years to the styles of the fifties for “You’re Like Lead”. While there are a number of retro bands that are trying to make it big in the current period, Blue Skies For Black Hearts has a foot up on the other bands because their songs are short, terse, and to the point.

Sure, there are a number of songs that are on Love Is Not Enough that use a high amount of repetition, but the band is smart enough to cut things short or include enough in the way of material to keep individuals interested in the disc and the band. The band does have a minor issue with “The More You Say You Know”. The distinct vocals of Blue Skies for Black Hearts are present, but they begin to grate soon after the track starts. This is because the instrumentation is stretched out and slow, which does not allow the drums and guitar to cushion listeners from the vocals as much as during “Here Comes The Rain” and “You’re Like Lead”. The band continues with the slower style during “Turn My Black Skies Blue”, but the instrumentation on the track is arranged in such a way that there is greater unity between the lines and the vocals.

When the band is able to synchronize like during this track, Blue Skies For Black Heart succeeds. It is when there is a measure or a beat between the instrumentation and the vocals that the band runs aground. “Otto” changes up the overall sound of Blue Skies For Black Hearts in the sense that there are number of different layers that contribute to the track, and that the band themselves go into a much more Beach Boys type of sound for the track. “Love Is Not Enough” shows Blue Skies For Black Hearts as a band that is very influenced by earlier styles of music. There may not be much of a place for the band in the current scheme of things, but the ability and talent shown by the band on this album guarantees them that individuals will follow them wherever they may go.

Top Tracks: Otto, Back To New Orleans

Rating: 6.0/10

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