The Gleaves Issue Quite Possibly (Country) Album of The Year 2025

Quite Possibly (Country) Album of the Year

Like an Echo  - The Gleaves  

Every now and then, perhaps once every five to ten years, you discover an album that completely knocks you over.  Buena Vista Social Club, Definitely Maybe, and Seventeen Seconds are good examples.  The genre is unimportant, but the overall impact of the album, which is a record studded with jewels, makes you want to listen to it time after time.  While each track has its own appeal, it is the complete package that makes it special. 

I have played The Gleaves debut album, Like An Echo so many times today that I have lost count of how many plays it's had.  It is a quite beautiful, complete album of Country & Western songs that, even if you were into Metallica, you could proudly hold in your music library, justifying your ownership of it to sceptical friends with a phrase like, “So what if its country, it’s a classic album.  I love it!”

 

Recorded and engineered by Robert Nute at Audio Obsession, in Porkellis, Cornwall, the album sounds rich and crystal clear from first note to last.  The voices of Chloe Gleaves and Josh Gleaves (they are married) are balanced superbly against the resonance of the instruments.  Each instrument, from the couple’s guitars, through Aiden Evans’ steel guitar and Eamon McLoughlin’s fiddle and mandolin to Joe Smith’s pedal steel guitar add to the quality and depth of these songs.  The work of the rhythm section varies from song to song, with drums played by either Steve Jackson or Sid Harris and electric bass played by Mike Lowe or Robert Nute, with the enigmatic ‘Tom’ providing the occasional upright bass.

 

What of the songs? The opening track, All The Time written by James Goulding, swings along sweetly, but in the style of a classic country number, the gentle introduction is a set up for the anguish of break-up and separation expressed in the lyrics. McLoughlin’s fiddle comes in to accentuate the maudlin mood as the midnight train approaches and the guitar solo pins the melody to your heart. 

 

The phrasing of the lyrics in These Walls complements the opener, but subtly slows the tempo, as Chloe sings ‘These walls are closing in on me.’   Her voice has a clarity and purity that raises the song above simple country and western fayre. The harmonious vocal combinations with Josh are wonderfully phrased and uplifting to hear

 

Each track of the album brings a different element and tone.  The third track, Midlight Ride draws on harmonica and brings the first obvious use of percussion in a superficially lighter-hearted number, which recalls the romance of a shared drive, sadly no longer shared.  As with all ten songs here, the tune does not outstay its welcome.  Each song breezes in and lights the room, sprinkles a spark of musical magic before making way for the next tune. Which is how it should be, with each song a polished gem.

 

The track list of the album is beautifully constructed and the fourth tune, the single Sing A Song  is one that everyone, band and listener are warmed up for and settled into, ready for its arrival.  Sing A Song is foot-tapping, uplifting, with a beautifully timed break in which Chloe sings alone, before the band return to wrap up this delightful love song with gusto - a  suitably restrained gusto, I must emphasise, for there is nothing on this  album that falls out of sync with any other part of it.

 

I mentioned earlier that this is an album to enjoy in its entirety and this is underlined by the subtle shifts in tempo and mood from song to song.  The title track, Like An Echo is accompanied by delightful guitar work, which mirrors the complex reflections on growing up. The lyrics deploy simple enjambment to brilliant effect, Your words don’t hurt, your words don’t hurt / me anymore.  

 

These are not simple numbers, although the melodies stick magically in the ear.  Each track has layers of interest, like the strata of Cornwall’s coastline.  This is an album of depth that provides enjoyment at every level.

 

I won’t dissect the second half of the album too much, but will reiterate that the ebb and flow of the album continues in a wholly satisfying procession, with delightful  variations in tempo and emotion. Too Late is built on the classic juxtaposition of upbeat tune with pain-filled lyrics.  I was deeply moved by Sweet South Carolina, which exposes the sadness that comes with road-weariness and the desire to find a place to know is your  home. 

Like An Echo is a brilliant album on all counts.  The Gleaves, their fellow musicians and ‘Album Fundraiser Supporters’ should be really proud of what they have produced here.  I hope you can track The Gleaves down and hear them live (they are currently touring the West Country, playing festivals and small gigs and even busking – I discovered them in Truro).  Support The Gleaves by stopping to listen, chipping in a few pounds, or by buying a copy of this beautiful CD from them direct.  You will not be disappointed – it is a classic.

Find and follow The Gleaves on Instagram @thegleaves and then go with the links in the profile. You can also follow The Gleaves on YouTube here

 

Spencer Ide

Truro

July 2025