Like its title, Windblown Kiss -- the debut CD from the California duo Lovespirals -- wafts from your speakers and caresses your ears with ethereal melodies, sexy voices and a timeless concoction of flamenco, bebop, soul, jazz, folk and rock.
The brainchild of multi-instrumentalist Ryan Lum, the driving force behind the now-defunct ethereal folk band Love Spirals Downward, Lovespirals takes flight with the voice of singer/songwriter Anji Bee. Her delicately sensual and sometimes breathy vocals combine with Doron Orenstein's saxophone on opener "Oh So Long," which sets the tone for slowly smoldering romance. Other tracks feature acoustic guitarist Sean Bowley on lead vocals, who creates a much different soundcape than Bee with his Gordon Lightfoot-meets-Bono voice. In fact, the two songs he sings often make Lovespirals sound like another band entirely.
Lovespirals is not a progressive rock band, but Lum's proficiency on instruments ranging from six- and 12-string guitars to congas and hammered dulcimer is greater than that of many of his counterparts in so-called "progressive" bands. Windblown Kiss takes some time to sink in, its subtle genius initially getting lost in the ambience. It's best to play this one alone at night, windows open with candles flickering, and let your spirit drift aimlessly into the darkness.
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