The Mickeys' greatest asset on their debut, Walk Along, are the exquisitely tight harmonies and vocal layering throughout the disc. On this collection of highly personal songs about love and dedication, the sisters display an innate intuition that can only come from a well-rehearsed family band.
Intuitive Harmonies and Highlights
It's hard not to make a comparison between the Mickeys and the Nields sisters. Their voices possess the same milky resonance and the same clear inflection, the harmonies are just as tight-knit and intuitive, and so many of the songs are about similar topics of love and family. There's just a certain synergy that family members singing together can create that doesn't come from a band full of buddies trying to match each other's tone.The main drawback on Walk Along is how buried all the instrumentation is in the mix. No doubt the sisters' vocals are the centerpiece, but it would be nice to hear more of the full band.
Still, highlights include the energetic unrequited love song "Feel the Way I Do" (purchase/download) and disc-opener "Caroline" (purchase/download), whose sawing fiddle line and melody call to mind old timey mountain music and Irish folk. They close the disc with a cover of Tom Petty's "Alright for Now" (purchase/download), which their sweet harmonies turn into a much more lullaby-ish lullaby, if that's possible.
