Ebony Lamb began her music career in 2010 out of a heartbreak that opened a door to a dormant musical talent. Five years and four releases later her Wellington quintet, Eb & Sparrow, have this second album which is heavy with emotion, delivered with pathos and Lamb’s smoky, bluesy voice. ‘Sun/Son’ spins a tale or two out of the band’s Americana / torchsong sound, with lap steel, trumpet, and mellophone adding exotic touches. These are most obvious on Mighty Wind and Kimbolton, just two of the songs that envelop the listener in a whirl of seductive noir. The weary, lonely I Want You is full of cinematic space, and the beautiful Little Hands relies on sparse arrangements and good songwriting. Eb & Sparrow’s sound is part Cowboy Junkies, part Renderers, but their own personality is stamped firmly with dusty alt-country, and a touch of mariachi trumpet on Loaded Gun. ‘Sun/Son’ is less interesting when the band are more conventional, but best when focusing on Lamb’s lovely voice and the atmospheric performances of the band. An album that comes from the dark night of the soul – lonesome, shadowy – but glorious.