The Fabulous Courettes The Soul Of ... The Fabulous Courettes (CD)

(Damaged Goods) 13 tracks, digisleeve

Danish-Brazilian band The Courettes have been a rock'n'roll sensation from the very beginning and are back with their fourth and best album to date: “The Soul Of... The Fabulous Courettes”. And this time they're bigger, broader and deeper than ever before, having added even more to the brilliant ramalama that has seen them cause a sensation in the UK, Europe, the US and Japan. Hitting just the right sweet spot between garage rock, girl group pop, doo-wop harmonies, heartbreak and everything in between, The Courettes build on the momentum of predecessor 'Back In Mono' with a collection of songs that expand their sonic scope as they tackle dark, emotional themes to reveal “The Soul Of... The Fabulous Courettes'”.

“We didn't want to do a 'Back In Mono 2',” drummer Martin Couri emphasizes. “We're always trying to move into a zone of discomfort where I think exciting things are happening, rather than doing the same thing over and over again,” agrees vocalist, guitarist and multi-instrumentalist Flavia Couri. With each album release, the duo has evolved and “The Soul Of... The Fabulous Courettes” draws inspiration from the duo's many role models, which were previously only hinted at. “We wanted to show our love for the Spector Wall Of Sound and Motown,” reveals Flavia. “It was a clear mission and we absolutely achieved it.”

From the glorious opening beats and piercing fuzz honks of 'You Woo Me' to the closing emotional stirrings of 'For Your Love' via the fuzzy urgency of 'SHAKE!' and the celebratory warmth of 'California', The Courettes have expanded their sound with an instrumentation and overall sophistication that is evident in both their production and songwriting. And most importantly, they've achieved this without sacrificing any of the rock'n'roll core scraped from Flavia's guitar strings and Martin's battered drums.

In their pursuit of sonic perfection, they've been aided by some guest musicians and sonic wizards in the background, such as La La Brooks (The Crystals) on backing vocals on 'California' and 'Run Run Runaway' (which also features Brian Wilson collaborator Darian Sahanaja mixing vocals and adding a Beach Boys vibe). Producer legend Richard Gottehrer mixed 'Keep Dancing' and 'Boom Boom Boom', Peter Kehl and Kasper Wagner (both Black Tornado) do the honors with various wind instruments on 'Shake!', 'Better Without You' and 'Stop! Doing That'.

The Courettes are once again joined in their own StarrSound Studios in Denmark by multi-instrumentalist Søren Christensen, who contributes mellotron, organ, piano and backing vocals and produced the album together with C.T. Levine. While the music incorporates acoustic and 12-string guitars, bass, electric bows, castanets and timpani, the emotions not previously associated with The Courettes have also evolved. “The Soul Of... The Fabulous Courettes” is aimed at the heart and head, it dances through the darkness and celebrates the joy of life.