Two Faces West - Postcards From Lonely Places (Self-Released)

Denver’s Two Faces West have finally released their debut album Postcards From Lonely Places after ten years of playing shows and releasing EPs, and it certainly doesn’t disappoint. Their signature mix of funk and blues is on full display here, and the group is in fine form, sounding tighter and more locked in than ever. The band freely admits the album is something of a hodge podge as it was originally planned to be a five song EP before the duo expanded into a trio and they decided to write additional material for a full-length.

Despite this, the twelve tracks all work remarkably well together, and it might just be a case of the group being too hard on themselves because there is an undeniable consistency here. From the overt funk of “Ain’t Got A Clue” to the folk of “Mountain Sunrise,” Two Faces West definitely cover a lot of ground, but it just sounds like a group who has a number of faces, instead of an inability to land on one restrictive style. This variety breathes life into the proceedings, and makes the moments of pure raunchy blues like “Brand New Suit” and “Hot Tamale Baby” all the more satisfying.

It might have taken the band a long time to get to this point, but the wait was clearly worth it as Postcards From Lonely Places is a defining statement that also points to a number of open doors that lay ahead for them.