EXCLAIM! Review April 2015

Review of Journey Home by Sarah Towle    EXCLAIM!

There’s something distinctly Ontarian about Kyra and Tully’s fourth release, Journey Home. Between Kyra’s stunning, Sarah Harmer-esque vocals, the winter weather-inspired lyrics and the laid-back banjo arrangements (and perhaps their history of being featured on CTV’s Degrassi Junior High), this Kingston-based husband-wife duo is Central Canadiana to the core.

Journey Home kicks off with the gentle — but drum-driven — “Write About It,” a song made to be cranked on a car radio while driving through cottage country. Similarly, the title track is full of those aforementioned Sarah Harmer octave leaps and gentle backing harmonies, which hold the album’s catchiest chorus (“Cold Winds through Ontario/Shake the Windows”). There’s also something in there with that small-town, dingy watering-hole sound: the lo-fi blues tune “Why Don’t You Call.”

While Journey Home lends itself to a handful of deliciously sweet moments, the album tends to suffer from a minor identity crisis, bouncing back between a singer-songwriter sound on the Kyra-dominated tracks and a more blues-rock sound on those featuring Tully (“Thunder and Lightning” and “Why Don’t You Call” are the stand-outs). But overall, the EP lends itself to the roots of its composers — straight from the heart of the Heartland province. (Independent)

GET IT

http://exclaim.ca/Music/article/kyra_tully-journey_home