Hailing from South Florida, The Lovers Key is made up of Christopher Moll and Maco Monthervil. Their debut Here Today, Gone Tomorrow fuses 60s pop-rock and soul. It’s Maco’s distinctively soulful voice that adds depth and a new dimension to the buoyantly pop melodies. The single “Saturday Night” is a perfect example of this on the album, as the record starts with a wonderfully Motown tune. The premise of the song’s lyrics is indeed relatively simple but in this way is reminiscent of how this was such a success when teamed with the right voice and rhythm, when Motown was at its height. The same can be said for the track “Maybe I’m Not Good Enough,” as it has the lyrical attributes of a bubbly pop song but is made more compelling by Monthervil’s powerful voice.
Monthervil’s voice is a long way from the vocals in Moll’s previous trio, The Postmarks. Also originating in South Florida, lead singer, Tim Yehezkely’s soft, kind of sickly-sweet voice was much more comparable to that of Nina Persson. The melody of the trio’s work was similar to that of Moll’s newest collaboration with Monthervil but on a much pop-ier level. However the single “Another Night” is startlingly similar to The Cardigans’ “Great Divide” in its lullaby tune, used on the first season soundtrack of Mad Men. Again this illustrates how well Moll has integrated more modern pop elements from his previous project to a now much more retro-pop sound.
The track “Bright Eyes, Black Soul” continues to follow with the soul and Motown feel as the rest of the album but from a less upbeat angle. Instead it understands a more scorned and embittered love story with the line, “Bright eyes, black soul your sinful hands I hold.” There’s a sort of 60s psychedelic tune that is also carried through from the track “Who’s the One You Love?” Similarities can also be drawn to The Temptations on the track “In a Perfect World” with the soulful melody and refrain in the chorus.
Recapturing the soulful vocals of a bygone musical era, this record seamlessly meshes 60s pop and Motown. It seems that the duo have found their niche. In a way, combining so many elements of 60s music with a modern twist makes the duo and this record difficult to define and can seem a little chaotic in trying to amalgamate so much on their first body of work. Alternatively this experimentation could be seen as positive thing in appealing to such a range, and trying to go beyond the regularity of one genre.
Rating: 6.0/10
MP3: The Lovers Key “Bright Eyes, Black Soul”
Buy: iTunes
