With a voice that harks back to some atavistic epoch; the Grey Reverend‘s songs – to paraphrase – are described as sitting, “completly outside of time and fashion”. And so his debut album of heart-pranged musings could be declared, in some respects, as being timeless; they also happen to tread and amble through the same moody, wallowing grassy verges and desolte plains that troubadours like the late great Nick Drake have already left giant footprints across.
The Reverend’s archetypal compositions are sparse; aided only by assiduous, carefully strummed rhytmns and deft finger-picked melodies, with only the barest splurge of occasional hums and harmonica to keep the ernest guitarist company on his journey. Of The Days is rich in allegorical tender lyrics with proto-Steinbeck redolent titles (Little Eli, Like Mockingbirds and Road Less Travelled), delivered in a resigned, beguilling breathless manner. He stands out alone, using only a voice and acoustic guitar to hold the audiences attention. An act which is is surely commendable; especially when the lions share of songs contain such wistfuly sad lines as, “I set my sights too high for the clouds” (Begging To Borrow), and, “leave me something to write on, give me courage to fight on” (Road Less Traveled).
The alter-ego of one Brooklyn-based, L.D Brown, the Reverend was first brought to the attention of The Cinematic Orchestra‘s Jason Swinscoe, who was duly impressed with his vocals so much he asked him to join his band on tour – both as a member of the group and as a solo artist. Four-years later and the Rev finally gets to release this LP on Swincoe’s own imprint label, Motion Audio, yet his timing may be a bit late as a gluttony of similar well-meaningful and honest artists, cluttering-up the music scene, also share the same ground.
Revisionist in nature; full of space, Of The Days is certainly an album of quality, which should slowly filter through. Expect the Grey Reverend to make an appearence on Jools Holland.
11/07/2010
[Rating:3.5]
