This came out in 2003 – or at least that’s when I got it. Here’s what I said about it back then (with some minor editing):
It turns out that two heads really are better than one. Especially when they belong to Scott Smith and Robyn Carrigan, the singer-songwriters at the helm of Vancouver roots act Bottleneck.
Carrigan is a former backup singer for Sarah McLachlan, while Smith was the guitar-picker in rockabilly rebels Bughouse Five. Here on their second album Late Nights, Early Mornings, they split the difference between their two catalogs and play to each other’s strengths. Backed by a supple and unobtrusive rhythm section, Smith and Carrigan offer up a slate of beautiful, romantically rootsy originals that move from Tumbleweed Connection roots-pop and stark Americana to torch ’n’ twang country. Too bad they don’t pool their talents even more — the duo spend most of the disc passing the mic back and forth when duets would be more unique, pleasurable and unified. But even if Late Nights, Early Mornings does suffer from a split personality at times, it’s hard to complain when both halves of its character are so likeable.
