PerlinSing – E=MP2 (EP Review)

Today’s review is for PerlinSing – E=MP2 (EP Review). Mark Perlin and Eitan M. Perlin are folk singers and their new album definitely fits into the Folk category.

Eitan tells us that his dad Mark has dedicated “his life to bring science into the justice system, and writing and recording music at night.” The name of their new folk EP E=MP2 is a play on both of their initials and the fact that this is an EP. On first listen, their new EP reminded me of sitting around a campfire singing mostly fingerpicked acoustic guitar songs to your friends in your local church group. The EP has a Paul Simon feel about it in the songwriting. I’m not saying the singing is as great as Paul Simon, just that if you like that kind of music, you might like this EP.

So let’s take a track by track listen to E=MP2

The first song Noreen starts off with an acoustic guitar, briefly, followed immediately by a very nice piano vamp and the guitar completely drops out. As a producer, I would have skipped the acoustic guitar intro and just gone straight into the piano vamp, which makes up the bulk of the song. I also find that the bridge of the song and its instrumentation don’t really fit the rest of the song. But the piano riffs are worth a listen. The vocals aren’t bad and sound like you might expect from a performative church folk singer. The bridge in the song is a bit disconcerting.

The second song once has a very nice sounding fingerpicked acoustic guitar. The sound mix on the acoustic guitar is superb and I really like the string sections interspersed throughout the track. The song has a plaintive melancholy feel.

My favorite song on the EP is the third song Child, which Mark wrote to his children. “When you were very young, I thought I could overcome the dangers in this world.” I find this track to be the best performance on the EP. I like it when the bass and drums kick in. Sort of a Jim Croce type feel about the song and the voice matches nicely.

Wander, the fourth song also has a very melancholy feel accompanied by a nicely captured fingerpicked acoustic tasty guitar progression. The feel of the voice and instrumentation create a song that gently flows by when you give it a listen.

Another fingerpicked acoustic guitar opens the fifth song Stars, which reminds me a bit of Puff the Magic Dragon. Perhaps that’s just the acoustic guitar causing that impression. The sing-song vocals fit nicely over the acoustic guitar’s progression.

Finally, the last song Bethlehem, starts off with a piano riff. This song has a heavier deeper feel. Like we are talking about the anointed one. Definitely has a church vibe. The piano has a very gospel-like feel about it. And I like it when the horns kick in.

SCORE/Good: I can’t rate this EP as Outstanding or Excellent as it just does not sound as good as many of the expertly produced albums that we review on this site. But I think it is good for what it is – a folk album in the older folk tradition. Think of folk singers like Noel Paul Stuckey or groups like Peter, Paul, and Mary, and you’ll have a general idea of the sound of this new EP. Overall, with the exception of the first song Noreen, I think the songwriting on this release is really nice and fits the style PerlinSing is aiming for. If you’re in the mood for a clean sounding straight-ahead folk album with nicely crafted songs, give it a listen.

[We rank singles, EPs, and albums on a scale of Poor, Mediocre, Good, Excellent, and Outstanding]

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