Album Review - Square Peg

Album Review - Square Peg

Have you ever thought, I’d like to listen to some old time American mountain music?

Well let me point you in the right direction to some real authentic old American music performed by Square Peg, who are Nick Pimbert on banjo, fiddle guitar and vocals, and Emily Johnson on guitar, fiddle banjo and vocals.

And what vocals these two command, with harmonies which can easily be compared to

sibling harmonies, like The Everly Brothers. There is something special about sibling

harmonies and to get harmonies like this without the same blood flowing through the veins is a rare occurrence.

But these two are so in sync musically its out of this world. You can feel their love for old

mountain music and an enthusiasm which flows through their playing. They draw inspiration from The Rutherford Family, The Cabin Creek Boys, The Whitetop Mountain Band Gap Civil, Ola Belle Reid and The Carolina Chocolate Drops, and I can hear more than a passing reference to The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.

All the songs are traditional but with structures and variations created by Nick and Emily. As you listen to this album of nine songs, you can see old families in the Appalacians drinking some Pettimore’s Moonshine whilst jigging around to the music, whooping and a hollering as the night goes on. The music is so authentic it’s hard to believe you can often find them having a drink in Yorkshires Todmorden.

Album Review - Square Peg

I also get a vision of a young Johnny Cash listening to the Carter Family on the old family

wireless, and next Square Peg comes on. The sound and tone of the instruments coupled

with the vocals just transport you back to a time gone by, before television, before

telephones, before social media, when all there was for entertainment was your neighbors coming together to share their cultural heritage on stringed instruments, and Square Peg capture this spirit perfectly. It is unpretentious, unpolished and profoundly human, qualities this world needs right now.

Personal favourites are Cindy and Rubens Train, though it is hard to choose.

Nick says their ambition is to introduce this unique style of music to as many people as

possibly. Lets hope this review helps them to spread the word, they deserve to be heard by a wider audience.

This wonderful debut album is available on all major streaming platforms.