Check out the new single from friends and collaborators Hazel Royer and Ira Klein. Reimagined folk song ‘Darling Corey’ finds the duo in fine form; Royer sings with a beautiful clarity and purity over Klein’s rapidly-picked acoustic. Gorgeously melodic lap steel is delivered by Kevin Barry (Jackson Browne, Rosanne Cash). His notes twist and stretch, creating an absorbing layer that drifts dreamily around Royer’s vocal.
Klein says of his musical partnership with Royer: “We first met as students at Berklee College of Music. Hazel grew up playing bluegrass music in the local scene with her dad, Eric Royer. I moved to Boston from my native Jerusalem, Israel, where I grew up playing Middle-Eastern music, Jazz, and Rock. After meeting in an ensemble led by Greg Liszt (Crooked Still, Bruce Springsteen), we became close friends and have been playing together for the past four years, often with our former professor, Boston guitar legend Kevin Barry. We enjoy the process of imbuing traditional material with new colors, and combining the wide range of our influences into a cohesive and captivating sound.” Indeed, that ability to combine different genres and styles, creating something new, is a gift.
‘Darling Corey’ features on the the first album to emerge from Royer and Klein’s collaboration. ‘Say Darling Say’ is a collection of old American folk songs that have been reworked and reinvented, a satisfying blend of old and new. Mixed by Rafi Sofer, and mastered by GRAMMY-Award winning Darcy Proper and Ronald Prent, the traditional material is expertly arranged and performed. Along with these timeless songs, there’s one original, ‘Broken’, written by Royer and fitting well with the older pieces. Barry features on a number of tracks, supplying electric guitar and Dobro as well as lap steel. The new album is due out on 1st March, and is available for pre-order on Bandcamp here. Look out for it – engaging sounds.
