Artist: The Royal Oui
Album: The Royal Oui (2014)
This self-titled, full-length album is the debut of Canadian indie-folk group, The Royal Oui. The Royal Oui is composed of a Canadian husband-wife singer-songwriter duo from Vancouver, Ari Shine and Adrienne Pierce. On this album, their voices come together in harmony with acoustic guitar and other instruments to create a unique sound: Blue Rodeo meets Joni Mitchell.
Melodically, the Royal Oui’s guitar and tambourine with piano accompaniment are similar to early albums from fellow Canadian band Blue Rodeo, while Pierce’s voice is similar in tone to Joni Mitchell, particularly in “Don’t You Think That I.”
Pierce’s voice at times takes on an almost haunting quality, which contrasts nicely with Shine’s deeper harmony in songs like “When You Lose Your Mind.” The lyrics on this album explore themes of love and melancholy, and the difficulties of relationships over time, such as in “Heart Safe.”