CD REVIEW: Talking Dreams by Echosmith

And family band Echosmith’s debut CD Talking Dreams fits that description quite neatly.

The majority of the 12 tracks fizz with enthusiasm and joy, epitomised by the relentless Come Together, the aspirational but happy Cool Kids and the more stripped-down but elegant Bright.

The melodies are guitar-laden but slickly produced (occasionally to an excessive degree) and 17-year-old singer Sydney Sierota’s vocals positively leap and soar into the singalong choruses, while her backing band of brothers Graham, Jamie, Noah and Jeffrey (aged 21, 19 and 16 respectively) are tight and sharp, barely a bar wasted or a chord overstretched.

This is effortlessly accessible, unchallenging and simply fun power pop, with no pretentions to high art.

Sydney’s vocals call to mind Ellie Goulding, while the band’s overall sound is reminscent of Danish popsters Alphabeat — as sunny as the Sierota’s California home and as light as a meringue.

But its choruses are catchy enough to raise it above the bland and keep your pecker up until we, as one of the track titles has it, March Into The Sun.