It is possible for something to sound so good it hurts? Certainly not an excruciating sting, but the tenderness stemmed from gorgeous vocal harmonies; expertly crafted, grooving, yet warm and delicate, arrangements and a live performance bursting with emotion, passion, and fire. The music grown from the combined voices of Isa Burke, Ellie Buckland and Mali Obomsawin leaves me with that feeling. That feeling, it is something that cuts deep…and it does so every time without fail.

The trio of Lula Wiles hit the road (and air) to head to this year’s Folk Alliance in Kansas City. A magic place for those of the folk/roots music persuasion where nearly 2,000 people descend upon a hotel for networking, showcases, and late night hotel room jams where truly special moments unfold. Isa, Ellie, and Mali just so happened to have one of those sets at the Fiddlehead Records showcase room and prove that even at 2 in the morning their playing, personalities and voices shine. “We played a lot of showcases, listened to a lot of showcases, met a lot of awesome people, handed out a LOT of business cards, and did not get a lot of sleep,” said Isa Burke who plays fiddle, guitar and sings in the trio.

“We learned this song for a Halloween show at the Columbus Theatre in Providence, RI, where we played a tribute set to the Trio album by Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, and Linda Ronstadt. (Isa was Dolly, Ellie was Emmylou, Mali was Linda, and Sean Trischka appeared as Russ Kunkel, session drummer extraordinaire. Wigs and fringed boots were involved.),” she says. “We had so much fun learning those songs that we knew they had to become part of our regular repertoire. This might be our favorite song on the record; the harmonies are addictively fun to sing.”

Lula Wiles’ cover of the Dolly Parton/Porter Wagoner penned”The Pain of Loving You” hurts, and boy oh boy, it hurts so good.

video shot by Mike Robinson