A good start
Posted March 23, 2010
By LauraCC,
Shealeen and Elle Puckett form the acoustic pop sister act known as Poema. Their debut for Tooth and Nail is like a piece of spice cake and a cup of soothing tea; the soft guitars, pianos and harmony of the sisters' voices are lovely together. But while there's no question that the music is clean sweet fluff about love and life that anybody can sing along with, there's not much of a religious message. Unless you count their pure approach to love shown by what they don't say, of course.
Many of the songs on this album were originally released on Poema's 2 demo EPs. "2 AM", a new song, is about the self-doubts of a girl who's still wondering at that time of night about what kind of impression she made on her date. Can't say I've ever shared the experience. "City Boy" describes a guy who feels special because a girl loves him. He's not just lost in the crowd. In "Feel The Same Way" they want to know just that; is their love returned? He hasn't said it in so many words and she's feeling insecure. The message of "Echo Off The Sky" (the chorus of which gives us the album title) is a little hard to pinpoint. I was expecting a song about prayers seeming to go unanswered, but it's apparently about taking risks and seeing the results of your bold actions come back to bless you.
I heard "Safe To Say" first on their myspace page (the original independent version) and that was the song that made me like Poema. A tender reassurance of love, this song ought to wind up on a commercial with cute, gap-toothed little kids and food in it. One of those sentimental first crush ones that melts your heart and goes viral on Youtube. The "Blue Sweater" in the song by the same name belongs to the person they miss and is something they cling to.
While Poema's debut is a pleasant listen, it's not overly religious. I look forward to a full album from these talented sisters. View All Music And Book Reviews By LauraCC | View LauraCC's Profile
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