REVIEW: COW - Volume Switch On album

Cow are similar in their musical output to Everything But The Girl, with band leaders and songwriters Mark and Maxine exhibiting a delicate sound to their folk pop textures, The Carpenters, Nick Drake and Bobbie Gentry spring to mind as sounding similar. Formed in 2006 the couple have gone to support Paul Weller at The Royal Albert Hall in 2010 plus in the same year the couple went on tour with the modfather playing arenas around the UK. If this wasn’t enough the band went on to work with the likes of Noel Gallagher, Steve Cradcok and The Love Affair lead singer Steve Ellis.

Fast forward to 2020 the duo have their latest long player Volume Switch On, released via Cow Music, masters at Mount Street Mastering, the results are a luxurious mix of folk pop acoustic beauties. All That Remains elegantly moves into pole position as a flute, accompanied by strings, with Maxine drifting in with some ‘sha la la la’s’, the results equal a soul venture into the the sort of thing Nina Simone was famed to release in her 60’s peak. Coloured River is stunning, a brital and broken vocal by Maxine is pure beauty, this is the sort of ballad Adele would pay decent money for, instead we have this perfect mix of Son Of A Preacher Man with I Say A Little Pray.

The rest of the album continues on a similar superior vein, Get Down With Ya’Guru is the kind of number that Blue Note would have released on Blue Breaks, Kickin Off The Beat starts off on a samba tip before a 90’s James Taylor Quartet break beat turns things up a funky notch or 2. Closing number Pulse, that includes soulful grand piano finishes the journey off an exquisite groove that befits the rest of the album. After gulping down this fabulous effort it is exciting to see what Cow will chew on next. 8/10

Cow can be found via the Facebook page where details how you can purchase this album and other can be found