3 minute read
The Nashville Musician — April - June 2020
Danny Strimer
New Love Songs Bossa Nova and Beyond
Local 257 member Danny Strimer’s latest album is a journey to another world as he combines acoustic guitar-driven melodic vocal tunes with Latin rhythms and ensemble arrangements that seduce the listener. Coproduced with percussionist Pino Squillace, all the songs are written with his longtime collaborator Alan Miller. The mood is set right away with “Doesn’t Mean a Thing,” with gut string guitar, electric keyboards, and percussion topped off with heartfelt yet understated vocals. “Could It Be We’re Saying I Love You” floats along with a classic bossa nova feel with an intriguing lyric by Strimer, his wife Lena Lucas, and Miller. Strimer’s acoustic guitar playing is melodic and harmonically sophisticated throughout the album, as is Brian Zonn’s subtly syncopated bass, which perfectly supports the intimate vocal styles, and always serves the song.
The intro of “When You Fall in Love” sounds like a standard from a bygone era that settles into a cool bossa groove with a sweet melody. “Once Upon A Summer Day” has a stop/start feel that keeps your toes tapping and head bobbing. “Emerald Paradise” is reminiscent of a soundtrack from a movie with a tropical setting, and the arrangement keeps unfolding in a beautiful way.
Cowritten by Miller and Raul Malo of the Mavericks, “Not Enough” has a seductive, slowly pulsing vibe, and evocative vocal that lands somewhere between Roy Orbison and Sting. It breaks into a double time feel with piano and guitar weaving around each other in an extended coda. “First Day of Spring” is a reminder of the timeless power of music to touch the heart. The album closes on a bittersweet note with “Now That You’re Gone,” a melancholy ode to what might have been. New Love Songs is a breath of fresh air that has a great vibe throughout. – Roy Montana
Sadler Vaden
Anybody Out There? Dirty Mag Records/Thirty Tigers
The second solo album by Sadler Vaden, guitarist for Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit, is an excellent step forward into the spotlight. He wrote all the songs, plays all the guitars, electric piano and mellotron, and his strong and articulate vocals ring true throughout. The stellar rhythm section of Fred Eltringham on drums and Vaden’s 400 Unit bandmate, bassist Jimbo Hart, is dynamic, tight and loose in all the right places, and the album puts his own unique spin on the legacy of great rock acts like The Who, Tom Petty, and the James Gang.
“Next to You” opens the record with a Stones/Mellencamp attitude and Vaden’s yearning vocal sets the tone for what’s to come. The lyric reveals a positive attitude that permeates the whole record. “Don’t Worry” has an uplifting message of reality-based encouragement built around big acoustic guitars, B3 and sweet electric guitar licks. “Golden Child” rocks hard with Joe Walsh-style guitar fills riding over Hart’s funky groove, hooky vocals and a tongue-in-cheek lyric about entitlement. The title track is a reverb and synth drenched excursion at a slinky tempo, with a great guitar solo that matches the passion of the pleading vocal, with Eltringham’s powerful drums pushing the whole band into overdrive.
“Curtain Call” features acoustic 12-string guitar and a string quartet, arranged by Mike Rinne and Vaden. “Modern Times” finds Vaden musing on the mysteries of life, with massive acoustic guitars, percussion, and slide guitar providing the perfect counterpoint. Other highlights include “Peace and Harmony” a hard rockin’ appeal for sanity, with Vaden’s slippery slide tearing it up. “Be Here, Right Now” is a compelling ode to being in the moment, despite all the distractions we face every day, with an extended guitar coda.
This album is immediately appealing but gets more rewarding with repeated listening. Rock & roll isn’t dead, it only took a nap, and Sadler Vaden just woke it up. – Roy Montana
