By: Nerhys Hall
http://www.theheelsmusic.com
Vancouver-based country trio The Heels features three immensely powerful female voices. Their latest album, Love, Heels combines gorgeous three-part harmonies, sassy lyrics, and catchy melodies. The album includes 10 fantastic songs, arranged masterfully for a highly enjoyable listening experience.
Anthemic album opener “We Can Country” immediately starts with an upbeat tempo. It’s a really fun song with powerful harmonies that really gives the listener an idea of what The Heels are all about. Songs three, four, six, nine, and ten are all quick-paced, powerful songs, while songs two, five, seven, and eight are slower. Track two, “Ex Rated”, features vocal harmonies just as powerful as the previous song, but has a slower tempo and an even more soulful feeling. The third and fourth songs, “Come Around” and “Hold Your Horses” are both strong, upbeat songs with The Heels’ signature three-part harmonies. “Hold Your Horses”, however, has a definite “girl power” vibe to it if you listen to the lyrics. It’s probably my favourite of all the songs on the album.
Slowing down and giving the listener a chance to relax, track five, “Growing Pains”, is much softer and the rich, full harmonies sound quite gentle. “He’s Not Where I’m Going”, the sixth song, kicks up the tempo once again and adds a bit of distortion in the instruments. It’s fun and catchy. The ballad of this album is song seven, “Bet You A Beer”. It’s a soulful love song that you’ll want to sing along to. Song eight, “Ok On Empty” follows the slower tempo of the previous song, but is quite soft and gentle, much like “Growing Pains”. The harmonies sound quite delicate. The final two tracks, “Fine By Me” and “Country Girls” are both more upbeat, with song nine being the quicker of the two. “Fine By Me” showcases the trio’s powerful harmonies immediately and balances the vocals with simple instrumentation and a prominent banjo. “Country Girls” also features powerful harmonies, but has a much darker sound to it and uses distortion.
If you enjoy country music and music with powerful vocal harmonies like the Dixie Chicks and Fleetwood Mac, you definitely want to check out The Heels