Cozma Vaughan gets no points for originality in naming their group -- they are made up of vocalist Lu Cozma and guitarist Gordon Vaughan. However, 5 Months 5 Days features some great guitar work by Vaughan, and Cozma's vocals are a treat to the uninitiated.
"Shadow Lands" is not a song about C.S. Lewis, but instead deals with inner depression and uncertainty, and points to Christ as the way out:
Give me bread give me water
There's no shame in who I am
For I am weak but I will follow
The child that stands beside the Man
"Black As Coal" features Cozma's vocals much in the vein of Beki Hemingway. "Port in a Storm", a portrait of someone needing a friend, or at least a friendly ear, is the standout among these songs. Written by Vaughan, it starkly portrays desperation and the need for help.
"So Good" is this album's "Love Cocoon" or "Kiss Me Like a Woman". Luckily, it is doubtful that this song's Song of Solomon-like lyrics will ever have to deal with the segregation of the CCM market.
5 Months 5 Days is a fine debut that will stand up beside any British folk music of the last decade.
4 tocks
