"Hey Baby" kicks off
One Day
, the third album by
the Cactus Blossoms
, with a light rockabilly swing, suggesting that the duo remain indebted to old-time rock & roll but also are ready to add a bigger beat and some color to their retro stylings.
does expand the palette of
, but instead of bopping to a rockabilly rhythm throughout the record, the pair weave in elements of early-'70s soft rock, such as glistening electric pianos and shimmering, slippery guitars that conjure memories of
George Harrison
. It's a subtle, considered expansion of their sweetly insistent retro-pop, one that works as well on the steady-rolling, minor-key "Ballad of an Unknown" as it does on "Everybody," a cozy duet with
Jenny Lewis
.
The Cactus Blossoms
remain a proudly low-key affair -- the focus remains on the harmonies of brothers
Page Burkum
and
Jack Torrey
-- but the small, telling details help turn
into a warm, enveloping listen. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine