ORANGE – Album CD

I have become big in the 60s – with “Friday on my mind” (even played in 1966 with the student band) and I love the music, like Mona and Lisa, who interpret this great, exciting and beautifully.They impress with the best musical work, in addition to their excellent singing also through a clean, appealing instrumentalization, like Lisas Leadguitar. My collection is now completed by your CDs. Clear recommendation.

From the moment this duo of Mona and Lisa came on my facebook feed, I liked the music they were making, giving a new life to old tunes and they seemed so capable. In fact, I thought they were brilliant. I played their clips over and over again and marvelled at the ease they were showing playing their instruments. Not only that but stage, camera presence. You got to love the girls and their arrival on the music scene. To reach this level can take years and years or you’ve got that natural gift and, bot, they’ve got it! Looking forward to more music from MonaLisa Twins!

Being introduced to Mona and Lisa via their more acoustic YouTube videos the amount of diverse musicality on this album was an instant and pleasant surprise. It’s clear that a lot of effort has gone into its creation and it offers a great range of styles.

1.      The Future – Whilst similar to the start of a few ELO albums this intro sets the up the album nicely so listeners don’t feel comfortable in knowing what to expect next! The future is bright (and maybe not just orange!) and we hope the master plan works.
 
2.      No More Worries Company – A bright sparkly tune in a music hall style with upbeat lyrics encouraging us to pass on all our problems for the girls to fix! If only we could, but hearing such music will help a lot.
 
3.      Once Upon a Time – Starting off as the missing link between Rubber Soul and Revolver with great blues harp by John Sebastian keeping the groove moving. A tale of love and fun in a world of music. With a great range of 60’s guitar sounds, feelings and lyrical references, Rock ‘n’ Roll will never die if the MonaLisa Twins have their way.
 
4.      Close to You – Early 60’s musical style tribute to a lost young love which is causing heartache until the past finally fades away. Lovely guitar and drums.
 
5.      It’s Alright – Being misunderstood at school with a head full of musical dreams and realising it’s alright to follow your own path when things will eventually come good. Classic guitar throughout with a Beatles ’63 style. The delightful question & answer chorus adds to the sense of confirmation that the right path is being followed in the end.
 
6.      Waiting for the Waiter – With a laid back deep south vibe performed with John Sebastian this song about waiting for the waiter can be applied to a life waiting to be rescued from being stuck in a groove whilst the rest of the world proceeds all around at a faster speed. A real toe tapper.
 
7.      In it for Love – Fantastic guitar playing in this joyful song about love. With words knowingly acknowledging that their music may appear to some listeners as being out of fashion, to lovers of good honest music this fashion never dies. Love the Queen beginning and Beatles ending!
 
8.      Count on Me – A beautiful melody and chorus feature in  this song of shared love and companionship. James Taylor would die for such a song.
 
9.      Sweet Lorraine – A slightly stronger vocal style as Mona takes over for this song of unrequited love at a dance hall where the emotions of love cause extreme and deadly behaviour in the “pretty nice girl with a touch of insanity” (do we know this girl?). The story does not end well of course but the song takes us through all of the emotions as they lead the girl her to her eventual destiny.
 
10.  That’s Life – This is such a great upbeat song about life and its meaning as each day can be so different, some days you can feel magical and other days you just want to hide away. Backing vocals are also spot on and also includes a Harrison-esque guitar break. There is a fantastic video for this song with an amazing performance by Mona (second only to the Bus Stop video!).
 
11.  Club 27 – Direct from a hazy beat club, this rocker is a story about the infamous virtual Club 27 and is clear that you cannot stay up in the stars for too long as the price you pay for living this way may be too high (based on the shared fate of Jim Morrison, Janis Joplin, Brian Jones and Jimi Hendrix who all died aged 27). Fantastic guitar playing at the end which is reminiscent of Eric Clapton – how does Lisa do it?
 
12.  Still a Friend of Mine – A lovely final track with sublime vocals from Lisa (which rise to new heights) and great piano. With some little touches of Julian Lennon’s Saltwater, Paul McCartney would have been pleased to write such a song himself. The strings add a new dimension to the music as this tale of people or society who do not value the things that really should be valued (but regardless will still be considered a friend) concludes the album with a plea for love to take over.

In conclusion this a great album showcasing Mona and Lisa’s amazing musical abilities and has the confident feeling of two people who totally share the joy of creating this music. The fact that they can each play so many different instruments (along with special contributors) brings a great variety and range to the playing styles on the album. The bass is spectacular throughout with a lovely warm sound for all the instruments and everything has clearly been expertly produced. The vocals are always so clear and not mixed into the background as per the auto-tuned compressed style that modern music has unfortunately evolved into. Musical influences permeate the album but always to its advantage and it’s clear that Mona and Lisa can master almost any genre from music’s recent past with ease and carry it forward into the future with confidence and style.

Having listened to the mona lisa twins original Album Orange I was really impressed by their style and their song writing in general i loved all the songs especially once upon a time sweet Lorraine close to.you and waiting for the waiter
All in all.it is a great Album.and I would recommend it whole heartedly

I heard one song by chance and loved your harmonies. CD is brightening my day. Thank you. I’ve joined the club for a month but not sure if you send links to things or I get to browse. 😊❤

Great album, been playing it in my car for several days

I was introduced to the MonaLisaTwins through their collaboration with an artist from my generation, John Sebastian, and had to learn more about them. My first thought was that, as I have just turned 70, I am probably not the demographic they are trying to reach. But after reading some of the other reviews, I see I am not the only one in my age group that loves their music. And while the covers of 60’s music are a delight to hear, it’s the original songs capturing the feel of that era that are most remarkable. Lucky for me I am not one who is stuck in the past, listening to only the “original hits” by the original artists. But it is hard to find current music I can relate to. I guess what I am trying to say is that I love what I’ve heard so far and look forward to exploring more of their music.