THE PRESS RELEASE: “Two great voices weaving together beautifully is one of the most basic and durable concepts in music, and Carla Olson returns to it on her new album Have Harmony, Will Travel 2. The album, which features the veteran Texas-bred, Los Angeles-based singer-songwriter-producer in duets with 11 guests, is a successor to 2013’s Have Harmony, Will Travel, which found Olson collaborating vocally with various artists. Produced by Olson, the second Have Harmony set sports an eclectic lineup of talents that includes Timothy B. Schmit, bassist-vocalist of Eagles; Peter Noone of the British Invasion band Herman’s Hermits; singer’s singer Terry Reid; Stephen McCarthy, vocalist and guitarist of L.A.’s Paisley Underground group The Long Ryders; and the album’s lone featured instrumentalist, original Bee Gees guitarist Vince Melouney. In addition to duo performances with multilingual vocalist Ana Gazzola and singer-songwriter Jim Muske, the album surveys Olson’s collaborations with two-time Emmy-winning actress-singer Mare Winningham, the brawny roots-rock band I See Hawks in L.A., legendary soul man Percy Sledge, and The Byrds’ masterful co-founder Gene Clark.”
MY TWO CENTS: Some artists work best alone. Others prefer a partner in crime. Based on her work with the likes of Gene Clark, Mick Taylor and others, former Textones frontwoman Olson definitely belongs in the latter category. But even though she’s an old hand at this duet stuff, she sounds fresh and enthusiastic about this freewheeling, gorgeously relaxed and cleverly inspired collection of covers and collaborators. I mean, where else are you going to hear a cover of the Buffalo Springfield obscurity Uno Mundo, followed by Terry Reid singing Scarlet Ribbons? That’s quite the trip.
