SHEL: SHEL

SHEL
SHEL
(Moraine Music Group)
Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

The four Holbrook sisters (the first letters of their names spell out the group’s moniker) may hail from Ft. Collins, Colorado, but there is a strong UK/European influence in their sound. Call the acoustic mélange of violin, piano, mandolin and percussion (no guitar) prog/folk/chamber/pop if you need to label it, but the approach, intricate arrangements and songs are always intriguing and often enchanting if not necessarily hook heavy. There is bound to be a bit of The Roches in their sisterly siren harmonies and along with Celtic and classical strains woven throughout, this is a vibrant, strum free set with hypnotic arrangements that reward your attention. A powerful cover of Led Zepp’s dreamy “The Battle of Evermore” slips easily into the rest of the originals none that unfold in traditional or expected ways. The classically trained young quartet exhibits elegance, style and grace on this debut album that sets the stage for an enticing career which could follow any number of paths, all of them worth watching.