You+Me makes acoustic magic in debut

By Chase Myers

Alecia Moore, popularly known as P!nk, and Dallas Green from Alexisonfire,   have teamed up under the name You+Me.

The collaboration released its debut album “rose ave.” Tuesday.

The first track of the album titled “Capsized” starts with an eerie breeze and somber guitar intro, but picks up with Green’s voice belting out first. Moore gets her turn right after and then both voices come together in a beautiful clash of sound that ends up blending very effectively. There is a lot of blues on this track.

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“From a Closet in Norway (Oslo Blues)” features Green’s high falsetto vocals as well as the sincerity in Moore’s voice as she takes the lower part. This song has the most profound lyrical content with lines like “cause the highs are so high these lows are killin’ me,” and “seems the dying are the only ones that really know how to live.”

The next song, titled “Gently” is pretty explanatory by the name of the title. The lyrics and vocals are very relaxed and soft with harmonies between Green and Moore throughout the song.

“Love Gone Wrong” follows suit in its relaxed vibe, but introduces a blues scale that sounds similar to Green’s other acoustic project, City and Colour. This song has an abundance of soul in it from both parties, especially in the vocal style.

The song “You and Me” was released prior to the album and fans of the band, The Civil Wars, were pleased with the release of this track. The Civil Wars began a hiatus in 2012 and broke up earlier this year. The vocal harmonies mixed with slide guitar echoing in the distance really resemble the band’s sound but in an original, unique way.

The next song “Unbeliever” is a very uplifting, happy song with catchy vocal lines here and there. One can imagine him or herself in a remote field somewhere in Montana  surrounded by nothing but grass and their own thoughts.

“Ain’t got no reason, but I got rhymes,” is the opening line of the next tune titled “Second Chance.” There is a back-and-forth dynamic between the two voices in this song where they both finish each other’s sentences in a sense. The true musicianship and connection these two artists share are really brought out in this song.

“Break the Cycle” is the best song aesthetically and musically on the album. The unison chorus is extremely catchy and the lyrical message is very optimistic, all while a small string section is heard in the background, providing a very interesting listening experience.

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The track “Open Door” has a very deep lyrical message that is apologetic toward parental figures. The song is written as an explanation of why someone left home to pursue a path elsewhere and is a very sincere in doing so.

“No Ordinary Love” really wraps up the album with a slow love song. Both artists really know how to pour out their emotions through their voices and it is very evident in this final song. With only a soft piano and limited instrumental accompaniment, this song showcases the vocals.

This musical project showcases the connection between the artists beautifully.  It is very refreshing to see an acoustic album like this received so well by so many. “rose ave.” is a great debut album and is hopefully the beginning of a long musical relationship between Moore and Green.

Chase Myers can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @chasemyers_DE or at 536-3311 ext. 273

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