From the start of the enterprise that became Sunburnt Country Music, I was a fan of The McClymonts, the band Brooke McClymont formed with her sisters, Sam and Molly. Their country-pop songs were always clever and fun and musically unforgettable, due to their way with a melody and their harmonies. I saw them play live as often as I could. Thus, when Brooke released an album with her husband, Adam Eckersley, I rushed to listen to it and discovered a work that had the excellence that they had both produced separately – Eckersley with his eponymous band – yet had a unique sound and sensibility.
The songs on that first self-titled album would not have belonged with The McClymonts or The Adam Eckersley Band – they were definitively Brooke and Adam’s alone. It was an exciting development for a music fan, and it continued with their second album, Up, Down & Sideways, which produced chart-topping, award-winning hits such as ‘Star of the Show’ (written with their daughter, Tiggy) and ‘Memory Lane’.
One of the hardest things for any artist to do – let alone two together – is not only be consistent but create something different that is as good or better than what has come before. This involves risk, especially when there is a well-established fan base. And while Brooke and Adam have big, bold personalities, they are serious about their music so the risk is real.
In the case of their third album, the newly release Souls on Show, the risk has manifested as a rich album about life and marriage and committing to make the best of both. As with previous albums, they take relatable subjects and apply their talents to them and the resulting songs are so good because they take the risk. They push themselves to make the music better each time. It’s a compliment to their audience, because what also seems true of them both is that they love that connection with their audience. If we show up, they will too, in spades.
In this new interview they talk about their creative process and how The Wang, where they host groups of people and perform songs old and new for them, has contributed to it, and their regard for each other as artists and people is so clear. All of this contributes to the quality of the music they produce.
Live, Brooke and Adam are never not great, whether it’s with their band or as a duo (including at The Wang, where you can see them up close and free flowing in the best way). I’ve seen their band show enough times to know that it can leave a person high for days, on the quality of the music and the fact that Brooke and Adam always seem to be having the most fun every single time. They are touring in support of Souls on Show and you can find the details here: https://www.brookeandadam.com/ontour.
I used to think I was perhaps too biased about The McClymonts, but then decided that I was biased because they were so good. So perhaps I’m biased about Brooke and Adam too – but it’s because they’re so good. In this world, with so much information coming at us, with so many options for our time and attention, they make it easy for us to choose their music by accepting nothing less than excellence in themselves. For those of us who live and breathe music, there’s nothing better.
Souls on Show is out now through Universal Music Australia.
Listen to Souls on Show on Apple Music
Listen to Souls on Show on Spotify
Listen to Souls on Show on YouTube