Liam And Imi: Soulful Vocals & Rhythmic Guitar

Once again, I'm writing about a fantastic acoustic female/male duo. Liam and Imi hail from Cornwall, England but I only found them on Youtube today. I'm taking a vacation in Rome at the moment and felt like heading out to the Piazza Navona to play a couple songs to the magnificent fountain. Amongst the songs on my mind was "The Other Side" (Bruno Mars feat. Cee Lo Green and B.o.B). If you own an acoustic guitar and haven't tried that song, give it a shot, it almost sounds better unplugged. Well, before I stepped out I decided to look up other people's versions on Youtube and that's how I came across Liam and Imi. They've got such a sweet sound but I don't want to get your hopes now so I'm going to break the news to you now. They've both gone off to university and thus can't make videos together for the time being. Fortunately Imi has got a new project going and let's hope Liam makes something of his raw musical talent. Here's their take on the juicy Bruno Mars track.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_HnaTpJRY4

Beyond their obvious talent I have to note that I like the sound of the microphone they are using. Finding an appropriate microphone for each person can be so tricky but it seems that whatever they are using is a perfect fit to Imi's voice. Needless to say, I still haven't got to Piazza Navona because I had to share their fantastic talent with you. The next cover of theirs that blew me away was of "We Are Young" (Fun. feat. Janelle Monae). Oddly, I love this song. I always felt that if a song could be stripped down to a vocal and a guitar/piano and still sound the same, then it is good. And that's just what Liam and Imi do in their cover. Liam slams on his guitar like a drum and Imi blows out those simple lyrics that make everyone stop and listen. So, here's your turn to stop and listen!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ote11KTmVpQ

I think the end of the cover is better than the end of the original. But that's just me. Feel free to share your thoughts. Now, I listened to an original of Imi's that's posted on the channel, called "Not This Time". The lyrics are great, and the melody is so reminiscent of pop folk artists appearing on the scene today. There's a painful screech when she slides her fingers along the guitar but it's part of the song's charm so enjoy it and don't forget to check out the new project Imi's got going up in Leeds. You can find Liam and Imi's Facebook page by looking up "Liamandimii" and subscribe to their channel by looking up the same. Enjoy the song and check back tomorrow for another great artist! I'm off to Piazza Navona.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xpel5yYVWUQ

Alex Hamel