The Smoking Flowers 2 Guns   cd Brand New Release  Americana

Married couple Kim and Scott Collins fell in love in a rush when Scott moved from New York to Nashville in 1998 and the two were smitten, wed, and making music together within half a year of meeting. The fiery urgency that characterized their romantic beginnings carries over into their '60s-inspired honky tonk Americana songs as the Smoking Flowers. Second album 2 Guns captures the same spirit of young lovers in trouble that graced turbulent country-rock classics by Emmylou Harris and Gram Parsons and even has some of the same manic family-style rock energy of Led Zeppelin or early White Stripes in their most down-home moments. In its quieter offerings, such as the brokedown melancholy of "Low" and the bright-eyed waltz of "Twilight," the duo taps into a heavy Neil Young vein, accentuated by the roomy, barnlike production of the album, which can recall the earthy feel of Harvest or the Band'sMusic from Big Pink. Moving between old-timey country-rock weepers and high-powered blasts of rootsy power, the Smoking Flowers have crafted a remarkably strong and inspired album, taking cues from past masters but rooted in their own stories and personal flair.
- Fred Thomas, All Music Reviewer

"Kim and Scott Collins, The Smoking Flowers, carry on the torch where Gram Parsons and Emmylou Harris left off in their day, delivering beautifully produced, sometimes moody, songs with knockout harmonies... and less traditional than your classic country-folk duo by bringing a punk-attitude and energy to their highly infectious songs. A marriage of song and voice that is uniquely their own."

-AltCountry.NL Magazine