Here’s a CD that’s 20 years in the making and with it you get a sound that is very classic rock, for just the musicianship alone, if not the songwriting. These songs have been with Silky Dave for a long time and you may wonder, how do they hold up? Well the answer is superbly. Though the tone of the album is very much the 1970s, the music is fresh and very much in tune with today’s climate both musically and politically.
Silky Dave has one of those voices that grabs you at first listen because its different and not traditionally pretty. Think Elvis Costello or John Hiatt and you have Silky Dave. His is not voice that will appeal to every listener, but those who like a voice that isn’t polished to a shine will appreciate his vocals. This is a well put together record with musicians and backing vocals that do their best to heighten the listening experience by emphasizing rather than drowning out or eclipsing Dave’s vocals.
The album opens with the rocking All The Way Down that was inspired by something that his grandmother told him after a fall. “Sometimes it’s better if you go all the way down, and then get back up.” Sage and funny advice that turned into a great song with just the right amount of humor to make you listen again and again. Mama Wants To Know feels like a forgotten 70s song that pops suddenly back into your head. Job To Do and Middle Class may just hit home a little to hard, for those of us struggling to make ends meet, but these songs remind us that we’re not alone in our struggles.
Nine Out Of Ten starts off with a guitar riff that is reminiscent of George Harrison. A song about a failed relationship that has a fiddle part that really conveys the sadness of this song.
A real stand out on the album is the title track Building A Life. Its a slow one but this is not a love song. “I’m building a life, that I keep tearing down.” Aren’t we all. This song is made all the better by the wailing guitars at the chorus and the backing vocals of Mary Ann Redmond who give the song a Clapton-esque touch. But of all the 11 tracks on the album, the one that best reflects our times is All Your Stars. This is a song of unity and hope for the future. It’s a song that seems to call out to our government begging for the “change” we’ve been longing for. Its got an alt-country feel to it while still rocking.
.Building A Life is an album for the everyday guy who loves good old fashion rock music. Its the kind of music that you expect to hear in a bar on a Friday night when you are drinking with your friends.
This album took 20 years to get to our hands, here’s hoping that Silky Dave delivers his next album a little faster than that.
Reviewed By Andrea Guy
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