You could spend a long time listening to the Golden Troubadours trying to figure out where they come from. In the space of this short EP, their second, they seem to go around the world with a mix of latin flavours, soul, afro-beats and roots music. From the flamenco sounds of opener ‘Moth Into Your Flame’ to the funky percussion backing ‘Wish’ to ‘Beautiful Revolving Jane’, which mixes a straight folker sound with blues and jazz as it progresses, they don’t spend very much time stood still.
It’s a summery sound as the last of the winter snow falls outside the window, each piece of the puzzle carefully fed in with good effect. The end result is silky, yes, but maybe a bit too silky at times. Country is an influence here, but you won’t hear anything like this in your local honky tonk. ‘Bad Dream #269’, with its much darker feel, pounding drums and eerie guitars caps the record off with its most stylish sound of all. Through all the mixes, blends and movements, they hold an identity together, a sort of music without borders which shows potential. There’s always a danger, with internationalism on a grand scale, that real character is lost. Holding together what they have will be their challenge as they develop, but we’ll give them every chance. Oh, and the answer? They’re from Nottingham.