King's Daughters and Sons bio

From the first note heard in August 2004, I was in love with the music that came from the barrels of Joe Manning. A city boy who can easily fool tourists into seeing him as a rustic, Manning is both a true writer and a vocal marvel. What's amazing about King's Daughters & Sons, though, is how Manning here has surrounded himself with the very best other musical marvels in the region - all of whom have been utilized in other ways, and one of whom has never had a chance to truly shine before, who emerges as a star against the odds, like Leif Garrett in a '70's TV movie...

There's the rhythm section - bassist Todd Cook and drummer Kyle Crabtree. Both are thunderous yet calm, stable yet always moving forward. Both began in heavy rock but few can play more subtly; it is this versatility that they call on here, with Shipping News and with Shannon Wright.

Keyboardist and vocalist Rachel Grimes sings like she looks - like a porcelain, Victorian-era queen that Cate Blanchett should get an Academy award for playing. With the Rachel's band, she has seen the world and she has absorbed it. Mike Heineman is the aforementioned rising star, with an angelic voice that needs to be heard by every mother and father and their housebroken pet. I even heard that Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan himself is coming back to life just to hear Mike sing - he's just that good. People used to talk about the harmonies of Crosby, Stills & Nash - imagine how good that was supposed to be, multiply that by 18, cut out the cheese and what you've got is what happens when Rachel, Mike and Joe sing together.

If this isn't what God and Rodney Dangerfield are listening to together up in Heaven, then I say, never mind, I'll go to Hell instead.