The Bird and The Bee - Recreational Love

The Bird and The Bee
Recreational Love
2015

Sophistication has always been a huge part of the music The Bird and the Bee make. Their tones are well crafted, vocals delicate but purposeful and an effortless sound that moves along just as their perceived LA lifestyle does. At 41 and 46 it would be easy for Inara and Greg to fall into an adult contemporary type sound, something dated to play with their peers but this album Recreational Love is nothing but. It sparkles and shines with an 1980s synth vibe that is so popular right now but the production is well rounded and makes for pop music that is ready for the dance floor or the card ride. Inara's vocals are pretty but very concise, she isn't belting out (even when she could) but instead gives the music room to breathe around her voice. Nothing on this record overly dominates anything else. Every song is so bright and features really complex arrangements but it never gets into the twee genre or feels like it can't stand up to scrutiny.

"Los Angeles" an ode to their city feels perfectly matched for the city and instead of singing about the usual tropes of Hollywood the song focuses more on actually being from the city and what it's like to experience it. Most of the album does lack a bit of bass or something really rounding it out. "Doctor" has the most in the way of low end and is one of the better tracks on the album. "Doctor" also features a sax solo that absolutely screams and drips of  At 10 tracks Recreational Love is not particularly short by the songs just fly by leaving you wanting much more. It makes sense the way this album flows when you learn that The Bird and The Bee do this project more in their free time. It puts so much less pressure on the album and lets it be whatever it is going to be rather than forcing it into something it's not. Recreational Love is truly well done and a great electropop surprise that almost anyone will enjoy. Give it a spin and see what you think.

8 out of 10