The album opens with one
of my favorite tracks, “Everybody Wants To Be In Love.” It begins as folk, but
grows from there into something gorgeous and moving, with that steady pounding
on the drum working in time with our hearts. When that drum comes in, it’s like
we are ourselves are moving toward love. Before it, it’s like a distant wish to
be in love, but when it comes in, it’s like we’re now actively seeking love. There
is movement toward joy, and by the end, this song has us all feeling hopeful. “How does it feel when the world like a
wheel/Spins fast under your legs, and your hips turn to steel/You rush to find
the woman before whom to kneel/Everybody wants to be in love.” Dany Joyal
joins them on bass for this track.
The second track, “Nostalgia,”
seems to pick up from there, with a good, but more relaxed beat, and with
country elements and smooth, beautiful vocals. This song has a friendly,
laid-back vibe. “Every woman and every man/Holding
onto someone the best they can/We were leaning, backs to the wind.”
Then “Life Of A Better
Man” kicks off with a great rock groove. This is one of the two tracks that also
appeared on last year’s EP. It clearly takes influence from some of the 1970s
music, but in the short instrumental moments reminds me of a Belle And
Sebastian song. Here is a taste of the lyrics: “Got to start life over to end up like this/There’s a creek in the floor,
and a shadow at my door/And a fear of what’s at hand/It’s a ghost in the hall,
an image that I call/The life of a better man.” Slow Leaves follow that
with “Dreamer,” a delightful acoustic tune with a very positive vibe in lines
like “Where no one has to ride alone/And
those that fall behind will be waited for.” But when Grant sings, “And if we’re wrong, we’re wrong,” that’s
when the song becomes even more effective for me, with a stronger emotional
core.
“Second Chances” sounds
like the very best of 1970s soft rock. It’s so beautiful, and yet so catchy
too. This is the other song that was included on the EP, and is one I love more
and more each time I hear it. “Neighborhood Watch” has a different feel from
the other tracks, with a cool, meaner blues vibe that is delicious. I really
like the guitar on this track.
“Only Sound To Hear” has
a more intimate sound, particularly in the way the vocals are presented. It
sounds like he’s so close, and there’s no need to project. There is a relaxed
feel, like among friends. And even after the song kicks in, it’s able to retain
a kind of intimacy that is sweet and moving. “I don’t have much money/And nothing to say/Just secondhand stories I’m
offering free/And some old ideas I’ve forgotten to tell you/And stars that
shine dimly and too far to see.”
I also really love the
feel of “Institution,” another highlight of this CD. “Will the morning light see us through/Chase the shadows from the room.” Then “Country Of Ideas”
is more of a country rock number, with kind of a bluesy rhythm.
Slow Leaves wrap things up with
a nice country folk tune, “Rearview,” that even includes harmonica. There’s a humor
there as well, for while he sings, “The lifelong drive to the gallows” (a great
line in itself), there are backing vocals singing “sha-dooby-doo,” giving it a
playful quality. Clearly, Grant Davidson is not taking himself too seriously. Toward the end, he sings, “Maybe you can take me along.”
Absolutely. I imagine this disc will remain close to my CD play for quite a while.
CD Track List
- Everybody Wants To Be In Love
- Nostalgia
- Life Of A Better Man
- Dreamer
- Second Chances
- Neighborhood Watch
- Only Sound To Hear
- Institution
- Country Of Ideas
- Rearview
Beauty Is So Common was released on September 9, 2014.
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