So, we got our first official review of the new record today. I guess it’s some kind of momentous occasion. The first of many. This one was in the Province, a newspaper in Vancouver:

HONEY AND THE MONEY
The Elephant in the Room
(Independent)
Honey and the Money are Leila Harrison and Matt Clarke. She sings sweetly, so must be Honey. Recorded predominantly in Vancouver but tarted up in studios worldwide, The Elephant sounds remarkably cohesive. It’s a bright pop-rock collection with occasional string arrangements (”Never Lonely,” for example) that expand the scope of the duo’s songs, but opener “Still Beautiful” reveals a slight Police influence while “All Good Things,” which follows, has a setting that suggests the Eurhythmics without the melodrama. Jared Kuemper’s production is subtly light but still full and detailed.
– T.H.

We’ve also been getting a lot of really great feedback from “everyday people” who’ve heard the record. We just wanted to share this email from a fellow musician here in Vancouver:

Hey Matt and Leila,
I just listened to your record, and wow.
Seriously, I was so impressed with the whole thing, so congrats.
The groove on Still Beautiful is basically aural heroin, so congrats on bringing a new addictive intoxicant into the world.
I think my favorite section of the record is Heaven’s on the Rise through Happy in the End. There’s something about just the sound that seems to evolve and make a statement over those 4 songs, like a suite. The songs are great too, and I’m not sure I can describe what I mean, but the sound texture seems to say a lot. The vocal “duel” at the end of “Heaven’s” is super cool, and it seems to set up the sound of Heartless Romantic, which sets up the (insanely cool) sound of Back To.., and to me it wraps up perfectly with the trumpet melody in Happy.
Anyways, the whole package is, in my little opinion, as good as or better than anything else out there.
A few times I thought of “She’s so Unusual” by Cyndi Lauper as a comparison. This isn’t meant as anything but a compliment. I love that album, and not in an ironic or hip way. I think its one of the greatest albums ever made, for real. Your record reminded me of it, I think, because it shares an intangible ingredient. It’s a warmness that comes from having some comfortable space inside a record that is full of interesting sounds and addictive hooks.
I’ll shut up now, but one last time, congrats, it really blew me away.