The Fireman's Daughter

The Fireman's Daughter at 12th & Porter
Three Times a Lady
Jewly Hight

In this town, if somebody begins a statement with “That young, countrified female trio…,” you immediately assume they’re talking about Those Darlins. And they might well be. Or they might be talking about the Fireman’s Daughter, who aren’t quite as spunky, rebellious or well-known (yet), but who do get goofy in their own way. (One song they’ve covered is “Kiss the Girl,” originally sung as a quasi-Caribbean caricature by a cartoon crab in Disney’s The Little Mermaid.) The Fireman’s Daughter arrived in town last year as a duo, comprised of guitarist Alex Kline—who models her playing after Dave Rawlings’ vivid runs—and sweet, dusky-voiced singer Catie Flynn. Somewhere along the way, they picked up multi-instrumentalist Katherine Day—but evidently not before they’d recorded their charmingly rough-around-the-edges EP, Road to Tennessee, at vintage-gear-equipped studio Welcome to 1979.
- Nashville Scene

Road to Tennessee - EP by the Fireman’s Daughter, Review by Tony Deans

Here's an idea, go out and buy a blender. Got it? Right now add 30 g of sugar sweet vocals, 70 ml of deeply personal lyrics, throwing in a dash of chiming mandolin notes, a twanging banjo and a sprinkling of guitar. Now turn the blender on, leave the room and come back. What you should see when you re-enter is two young girl's calling themselves The Fireman's Daughter and more importantly you should be hearing the music of Nashville mixed with the jazzy voice of New Orleans.

The four track EP is one of the most solid debuts I've heard. It begins with the fantastic "Airplanes for stars". A song about leaving your rural hometown and living in the city, it features impressive banjo work and Catie Flynn's vocals are truly a thing of beauty. "The Fishing Song" begins with an intro that is a perfect mix of acoustic guitar and mandolin. Catie Flynn bemoans not being able to tell a friend her true feelings and delivers the lyrics with an emotionality and honesty that stops the song from being cliché and instead turns it into a highly original and personal work of art. "Misery" by far the best song on the EP allows Alex Kline's beautifully strummed guitar to shine and lays the foundations for an impressive piece of music. Unlike the other songs on the EP it is mostly stripped down and this actually works for it rather than against it. Lyrically we are told that being in misery because of the love you feel for someone is better that being happy and not loving anyone. The EP ends the most ‘electric' song, "Road to Tennessee" which tells us of the regret the narrator feels that she is leaving her lover for the bright lights of Tennessee. The refrain "I'm never going to feel that way again" is incredibly addictive and will be on the tip of your tongue for weeks to come.

Creating a perfect blend of Country and Jazz, The Fireman's Daughter has created an exceptional debut EP. Flawless, I would say that they are standing on an extremely promising platform. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if they'll be walking amongst the giants of Nashville very soon. Put simply - Marvellous.

9 out of 10 stars - The Cheers Music