Finnders and Youngberg: I Don’t Want Love You Won’t Give Until I Cry

Finnders and Youngberg. I Don’t Want Love You Won’t Give Until I Cry.
Finnders and Yougberg, 2013.

http://finndersandyoungberg.com/

Finnders and Youngberg is a Colorado quintet spinning 21^st century character-driven folk tunes.  Using string instruments, vocal skill, and stellar story-telling, F&Y make musical magic on the album with possibly the longest name that I’ve ever encountered, “I Don’t Want Love You Won’t Give Until I Cry.”  Verbosity aside, this crew filled with Colorado Front Range acoustic gurus has some stunning licks on their second album that goes beyond the chops on their first album, “FY5.”

Diners begins with a few melancholic strums of a guitar, before launching into rousing banjo melody with mandolin high notes and the comforting, alto voice of E, joined later by other members in sweet well-balanced melodies.  There’s an Abigail Washburn-esque quality, especially reminiscent of “Song of the Traveling Daughter.”  Coming off of this transcendental tale is Lonely Too Long, which is more straight Americana country, complete with twanging guitars and sorrowful love themes.  Infidelity takes this genre a step farther, with male vocal leads, mandolin licks, and banjo accompaniment that complete this juxtaposed tale.  The fiddle and guitar are less prominent, but still add great details and round out the sound nicely.  For a more joyful and upbeat tune, Ramona begins with extended an instrumental part, adding in the unpolished voice of a square dance caller* in fits and starts, with most of the song being pure music and very much driven by the various strings.  The title track is a female-led country lament of unrequited love with a tempo that is perfect for slow dancing and plucked strings giving it a punctuated timbre at points, before closing in a symphonic decrescendo.  Not to leave the album on a low note, Girl from the North Folk Valley is a quick-paced Appalachian-styled hoe-down.  Harmonies with the vocalists and instruments are smooth and settled, like friends that know how best to work together.

I Don’t Want Love You Won’t Give Until I Cry is a great piece of work for those already in love with the full complement of traditional folk stringed instruments, and the soulful songwriting is a giant bonus.  This one won’t leave you disappointed.

* I have no idea if there are actually any square dance callers in the group, but that’s the best way I could describe the staccato, rough voice in Ramona.  Where ever this sound comes from, it’s a good fit.

Personnel: Mike Finders (vocals, guitar), Erin “E” Youngberg (bass, vocals), Aaron “AA” Youngberg (banjo, pedal steel), Rich Zimmerman (mandolin), Ryan Drickey (fiddle)

Tracks: Diner, Lonely Too Long, Infidelity, Hey Ramona, I Don’t Want Love You Won’t Give Until I Cry, Girl from the North Fork Valley