Taylor Young and John Pedigo are the O’s, a duo that combine guitar, banjo, harmonica, lowebro, tambo, kick drum and xylophone into a folk/country/indy pop blend that is full of potential. However, thanks to repetitive lyrics and vocals that lack the same charisma as the instrumental work, the band’s sophomore album, “Between the Two,†misses the mark.
Of the two, John Pedigo is easily the better singer. Possessing a vocal timbre that is undeniably country, Pedigo is solid enough make songs with repetitive lyrics fun and catchy. Nonetheless, the vocal feel of most the duos’ songs lacks the type of diversity needed to fully compliment the stellar harmonica, guitar and banjo that is on display here.
Taylor, while an excellent guitarist and a decent back-up singer, fizzles on most of the tracks with him as lead vocalist. At his best while keeping it simple, “Wrecking Ball†has some great banjo and guitar work in it and Taylor is able to show his ability on the microphone. On other tracks however, such as “Tryin’ to have a good time,†his vocals are choppy, too slow to keep up with the up-beat musicianship.
That isn’t the biggest problem the album has vocally however.
It’s like the first time through, every song is unique and special, but after another minute or so, the songs just loop lyrically, repeating themselves and losing their luster.
The result is a hearty-helping of tracks that aren’t nearly as potent as they should be.
That doesn’t mean the album is a waste of time though.
The guitar work and banjo combination of Young and Pedigo is simply too solid to ignore and with the addition of kick drum and harmonica, these tracks showcase these fine musicians. The fact that these two men can work together so cohesively and produce a sound so full is a testament to their ability as musicians. In a perfect world though, this band would have at least one more member. And that member would have the type of voice to fully take advantage of their ability with the wide variety of instruments they employ.
However, in the end, this band has more than enough talent; they just need to focus more on writing songs that feature lyrics and vocals as groovy and stylish as the instruments playing behind them.
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