Michael McArthur - Oh, Sedona (2020)

With release dates that are only weeks apart, Michael McArthur has conjured up a mighty fine pair of acoustic EPs and luckily for the reviewer who has to squeeze this duo into a single review, both ‘Oh Sedona’ and ‘How to Fall in Love’ are immensely enjoyable, making this task a hugely pleasurable one. Both EP’s feature new tracks as well as solo acoustic versions from the highly regarded 2019 LP, ‘Ever Green, Ever Rain’.

The only other track on ‘Oh Sedona’ that doesn’t originate from ‘Ever Green, Ever Rain’ is an unexpectedly empathetic and moving cover of ‘Purple Rain’ which, thankfully, doesn’t attempt to be too clever by deviating hugely from Prince’s original classic with McArthur managing to display a surprisingly wide vocal range throughout the 4 minutes and 17 seconds it took him to cover the track. Like all the tracks on these EPs’, ‘Oh Sedona’ ends with a live solo take of ‘Elaine’ and the atmosphere and sense of intimacy he generates is just captivating as he describes the joy and the pain, we all go through in both our day to day lives and our relationships. It’s a fitting end to this 5 track EP.