Husband and wife Ally McErlaine and Shelly Poole had already tasted success (he as guitarist with Texas, she with sister Karen in Alisha’s Attic) when, in 2009, plans for their new joint project were put on hold. On the eve of recording sessions for their first album, Ally suffered a brain aneurysm, leaving him in a critical condition for over a year.
Fighting fit again, the record Ally was ready to make a couple of years ago emerges now as both a celebration of his recovery and the assured arrival of a potentially powerful force in the burgeoning field of Brit-grown Americana. Red Sky July make seductive noises that lean towards the atmosphere-fuelled country of Alison Krauss, Shelly’s voice blending beautifully with that of third member Charity Hair, while Ally’s delicate strumming picks out melodies that aim straight for the heart.
It’s an elegant mix of the pastoral and the prairie, best heard on the soothing Morning Song and the ethereal dreamscape of The Gold House, adding a tinge of Gram’n’Emmylou regret on Rivers Wild. Bonus points are earned for an intriguingly out-there choice of cover in Donna Fargo’s early 70s country chart-topper The Happiest Girl In The Whole USA.
