The old adage It Takes Two certainly holds true for Los Angeles duo Charley & Jesi. Their individual musical identities entwine throughout their fourth full-length album, With Love, yielding a dynamic, diverse collection of ten tracks that beautifully fuse pop, rock and folk. At the same time, they enlisted the help of some high-profile friends to round out their sound. Nodding to the classic Laurel Canyon community of yesteryear, the likes of legendary LOVE guitarist Johnny Echols, Dwight Yoakam six-stringer Pete Anderson, and Chicago’s Lee Thornburg add their respective stamps to With Love. However, it all starts with this pair… In 2008, Jesi asked Charley to borrow his guitar at an open mic, and they instantly felt a musical kinship that blossomed into an intense romance and lifelong love. They began writing together, bonding over a shared passion for The Beatles, Sonny and Cher, Fleetwood Mac and The Beach Boys. “We liked and were influenced by all the same music,” explains Jesi. “So when we wrote songs together, it felt really natural. It was the easiest thing in the world.” They relocated from Oceanside to Los Angeles, and have released three albums - Raw (2009), Charley & Jesi (2011), and Circus (2013) via their own record label, Wini Flashdance – and organically built a strong local following. In early 2014, they holed up at The Village Recorder and Grandmaster Recorders to self-produce With Love, with Reuben Cohen (Edward Sharpe And the Magnetic Zeros, Bruno Mars, Ingrid Michaelson) mastering the record at Lurssen Mastering. On With Love, the duo’s sound is a seductive amalgam of The White Stripes-meets-The Carpenters. That unique musicality courses through the upbeat swagger of the first single “Just Wanna Dance,” punctuated by a bombastic saxophone solo and massive harmonies. Meanwhile the opening track, “Hurry Up and Take Your Time” combines a blues bounce with simmering solos from Echols. “Better Day” is a bright, harmonious, upbeat anthem and “Love In” boasts a countrified rhythm and a mini-choir of Charley & Jesi’s musician friends. The album culminates with “Love Light,” a song that shines with a gorgeous dénouement and impeccable playing courtesy of Anderson. “We want people to walk away from our album with the feeling of love,” agree Jesi and Charley. “That’s what our music is about. It’s love and joy. Love brought us together, and it keeps us going.”