The Krickets - If You Only Knew (2025)

If you’re an easy mark for the sound of a delicate blend of female vocalists, you owe yourself a stop here to drink in this third release by The Krickets. I think this writer’s first experience with falling head over heels for a woman’s voice was the first time I heard Karen Carpenter’s liquid vocal on “(They Long To Be) Close To You.” You know the feeling. Laura Nyro, Rita Coolidge, Joni Mitchell, Aretha Franklin. Multiply this sensation by the added dimension of rich, blended harmonies, capable of catapulting any listening experience into another world entirely. It’s far more than an adolescent spark of sexual attraction – it’s a glorious sound that no combination of male voices could ever touch. Hauntingly beautiful.

The Krickets are three women with three releases to-date. And while their last – Redbird – came close to the mark, If You Only Knew is a total home-run. Stand-out voices. Wicked harmonies. Smart lyrics. Expert musicianship. Killer hooks. And, while it may seem a tad ballsy for this relatively new trio to lead off this release off with their most powerful song (title track), rest assured that each and every song of the nine tracks to follow deliver a sturdy kick and even more reasons to fall for this release.

Americana, sure? Yet, almost southern-based, country-pop to these ears. You might think that ten originals covering all forms of love in our human experience could easily prove to be slightly cloying over the course of the full album….but you’ll be surprised at how instantly endearing, if not overly familiar, these songs are: from lust to heartbreak; game-playing to rejection; true love to unrequited love. Each and every song represents a different voice as Emily Stucky Sellers, Rachel Grubb and Lauren Spring trade off lead and background vocals seamlessly, which is quite an accomplishment. Originally coming together to play a breast cancer benefit for TheCricketFund.org – an organization which provides cancer aid to the uninsured – this foursome evolved into a threesome and they remain passionate about supporting their namesake.

Stuckey Sellers hails from Fairhope, Alabama while Grubb, born in Ohio, lives in rural North Central Florida. Spring comes from Florida’s Gulf Coast but spent some time in Nashville. So there is a distinct ‘southern edge’ to their sound and their decision to record at Sun Drop Sound (Florence, Alabama) where they had recorded their debut, might account for the evolution of their sound – slightly more organically southern than the more Nashville-sounding, bluegrass-friendly Redbird from 2019.

Their most immediate – and instantly infectious – track is “Right In Front Of Me” – and Emily Stuckey Sellers’ lead vocal is softly, sweetly sensual, tastefully accompanied by acoustic/electric guitars, piano and synthesizer – with multi-instrumentalists Sol Philcox-Littlefield and Austin Motlow handling the lion’s share of the music. Rachel Grubb and Laura Spring volunteer the first taste of their lush backing vocals.

“Away From You” features a slightly tentative-sounding Rachel Grubb on lead vocals as Spring and Stuckey Sellers add considerable body to the track. This song about being separated from the one you love and being away from home has little more than acoustic and electric guitars, keyboards, drums and bass, together with handclaps, creating a call-and-answer format. It also features some stand-out electric guitar from Brit via Nashville, Philcox-Littlefield.

Another strong highlight is found with Lauren Spring’s lead vocal on “Let Me Be,” bolstered by Grubb and Stuckey Sellers, which benefits greatly from some aggressive lead guitar from Philcox-Littlefield and a hint of banjo.

Stuckey Sellers returns with soft-yet-powerful lead vocals on the seductive “Rain,” enhanced by a distinctive tremolo’d effect on electric guitar, while the addition of cello (Caleb Elliott) adds sympathetic colour to this moody piece. A rich guitar solo and, later, an effect which approximates that of a sitar joins Ben Tanner’s B3 and Motlow’s graceful piano. The chorus absolutely soars – three voices creating an providing an uplifting feeling against lyrical content which represents the darker side of introspection.

The mandolin and crying guitar intro to “Holding On” yields another strong original as Rachel Grubb takes lead and all the bells and whistles are harnessed to support the strong melody – acoustic and electric guitar, mandolin, drums and bass – as a world-weary Grubb underlines the value of trust and true love in tough times. One wishes you could access separate voice tracks for many of these songs – the sophisticated intensity of their harmonies have you wishing you could hear who sings what, as the end result of each combination is nothing short of delicious. Best of all, it all seems so effortless.

“If You Only Knew” is one of those songs which will make a permanent home in your brain, giving birth to a serious, recurring earworm which will refuse to leave you alone. Lead Lauren Spring pauses, dramatically, between each word of the song title in her lead vocal. Electric guitar, B3, cello merge with Spring’s hurting, heartfelt, wanton prayer as the backup singers repeat “If You Only Knew” to impressive effect. Once again, Philcox-Littlefield sears on lead guitar, never overpowering Spring’s lead.

Stuckey Sellers’ “Your Light” could almost be a religious tome, yet represents her appreciation for real love and all its enriching effects. Tanner’s piano joins Elliott’s cello and electric guitar – tucked away just behind Seller’s fervent delivery.

The perky “What Do You Know About Love” is Lauren Spring’s upbeat paean to love wasted, if not unreciprocated, the chorus accentuating her frustration over time. Sounding somewhat vulnerable, its haunted guitar effect and background singers’ breathy “Ahah,” erupts into a robust, foot-tapping chorus, as Philcox-Littlefield unleashes some attitude before the song disappears.

Stucky Sellers’ soft-yet-sinewy lead on “These Games” outlines her overall irritation with loves’ ups and downs. Her vocal takes on an enhanced degree of fury, all the more noticeable given gently-played acoustic and electric guitars, cello and the sad overtones of Grubb and Spring’s support. Philcox-Littlefield’s intermittent snippets of slide seem to lend an additional element of pain.

With lyrics refusing to quit, Stuckey Sellers’ no-nonsense “Just A Matter Of Time” goes well beyond self-confidence to predicting the love she knows will happen. The buoyant accompaniment with organ and lead guitar provide a spirited backdrop while Grubb and Spring’s background vocals succeed in spurring her on. Highly upbeat.

Clearly in a state of transition in attempting to lock on to a sound which works best for them, rest assured that The Krickets’ latest release is not only an incredible demonstration of quality songwriting, the most dramatic and satisfying use of three captivating voices, embellished by an entirely simpatico band who provide them with