"Feels good to be over you but it felt good to be under you so may be it's just you that feels good" is, as far as opening lines go, one of the best.
These are the words that introduce us to Hello? Goodbye! the track which kicks an album of thirteen bright, breezy and intelligent pop songs.
The track's title is, of course, a pastiche of The Beatles, as is track two - Don't Make Me Hold Your Hand. They don't sound much like the Fab Four though; more like a better than average busker band who have stumbled into a studio and surprised themselves on how good they sound on record.
The main reason for the winning formula is the exuberant and highly impressive retro-soul voice of Rachael Price. She is originally from Tennessee and her musical background, which is plain to hear, is in jazz and gospel music as a student at Boston's New England Conservatory. This is where she met the other members of the band. She actually also has a solo career which she keeps separate from Lake Street Dive (they don't even get a mention on her home page).
Slick and soulful instrumental backing come mainly from Mike 'McDuck' Olson (trumpet, rhythm guitar), Bridget Kearny (upright bass) and Mike Calabrese (percussion) although a number of guests help out too. The band apparently started out as a 'free country band' with a strong emphasis on improvisation - by their own admission they were awful so switched to a more hooky pop-orientated sound.
An upbeat track like Henriette with its Hawaii Five-O groove is typical of their light-hearted style and sharp wit of their wordplay - they certainly win kudos for rhyming Henriette with soubriquet and serviette.
Neighbor Song is another good funny-sad song about trying to sleep while a couple upstairs a making love ("Their love is amplifying all my despair").
Price's versatility is shown through moody lovesick ballads like - It Hurts In The Right Place and I Don't Really See You Anymore.
We All Love The Same Songs celebrates the fact that the band share many of the same influences, and you can imagine the quartet singing along in the car to classic soul alongside Beatles and Paul Simon tunes.
This strong album captures the warmth and vitality of the group and the power of Rachael Price's fantastic voice although they are the sort of band I'd much rather see live than listen to on record.
