Scott & Maria – All I Am (2020)

" The Brighton based duo Scott & Maria have been playing music together since around 2012. In 2017 they released Bright Star and more recently they released a five-song EP entitled Never Lost.

The duo make acoustic based music but often contains a lot of energy. There are some unique melodies and arrangements throughout the EP but the main attraction for me was the vocals which often soar.

They open with “Never Give Up” which begins with a slick acoustic guitar and bass. The vocal harmonies begin right away but throughout the whole song they change it up. I felt like they were both singing lead here. As the song builds layers of instrumentation create a powerful but lush arrangement. The song finally hits a crescendo and the last thirty seconds are haunting a cappella vocal harmonies.

Up next is “Love Bombs” which again starts with slick guitar picking pattern that brings a good amount of energy to the song. The percussive aspects create the momentum as they sing together “Let's drop a bomb.” It’s anthemic and the lyrics could be misinterpreted  to be about politics and war but the song is called “Love Bombs.”

“Our Time” is a joyous, hopeful and single worthy song. It’s certainly bright and could get you motivated. The guitar here is strummed which adds to the urgency. The vocal harmonies between Scott and Maria are consistent more or less the whole time.

“Star Child” had more of a ’70s classical rock vibe than the other songs. Maria sings lead and the mood here contains some David Bowie as well as Led Zeppelin influence. They close with the most intimate song on the EP entitled “This Land.” This song is a slow burn and begins with guitar and vocals. There are some percussive elements that come in and add just the right amount of energy.

​The duo not only sound great singing together but I thought the songs were well written and diverse. There is a lot to appreciate here. Have a listen."