In this day of auto tune and infectious-yet-shallow pop hooks, it is a refreshing change to listen to a voice that simply excels at singing.  Audrey Silver is one of those voices, and it is the sultry tones of her voice that makes her latest album, Dream Awhile, a well-crafted musical offering.

The greatest strength of this album is in the vocal production.  Silver’s pacing, interesting use of dynamics, and her ability to stir emotion takes the listener on a musical journey through the golden age of jazz and big band swing.

Any rendering of timeless jazz standards such as those sung by Silver on Dream Awhile run the risk of being an unoriginal reproduction of a multitude of recordings that have already been done.  Silver, however, has found a unique way to present these classics through her rhythmic improvisation and distinctive musical timing while adding to the mix unexpected arrangements, most of which work well highlighting Silver and the band.

Silver is best when she’s swinging songs like, “I Will Wait For You”, “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” and “Exactly Like You”.  These are three of the strongest songs on the album demonstrating a fun playfulness and an intense musical joy.  Artists can be defined on their ability to transfer the live experience to a recorded project, and when Silver begins to scat, which is a skill not easily mastered, the strength of her vocal technique and the loveliness of her voice portray a gifted artist whom one would want to see on stage.

Even so, there are tracks that fall short of the high standard Silver has set for herself.  “Falling In Love With Love” suffers from an uneven arrangement, the introduction is much to slow and the bass distracts from Silver’s lead vocals.  When the tempo increases to a full groove and the entire band begins to play, Silver once again shines and gives her listeners the power-packed excitement that jazz can be.  Silver’s interpretation of “Too Marvelous For Words” lacks the emotional depth and is flat when compared to the passion exhibited on other tracks such as “That’s All” and “Day Dream”.

“That’s All” is the true gem of this album.  Heartfelt and vulnerable, Silver offers an emotional rendition that is gentle and easy.  The arrangement is tight and musically subdued so that the listener can focus on Silver’s simple and straight forward rendition.  She sings with such honesty and clarity that the song easily becomes a favorite.

Closing out the album with “I Could Write A Book”, Silver once again showcases her stunning vocals.  The simple piano accompaniment and uncomplicated arrangement combined with Silver’s high vocal energy closes the project on a high note.  The barebones instrumentation on this track affirms once again that Audrey Silver is the star of this project.

Dream Awhile makes a definite statement: Audrey Silver is a versatile song stylist and Dream Awhile is a notable effort.

Review by Naima Johnston

Naima Johnston, Reviews Audrey Silver, Dream Awhile

Hailing from Brooklyn, New York, the self described rock and roots Hawk and Dove Band offers an eclectic, original four song EP, Rocking Chair that is not easily forgotten.  Although the first song, Furious Armies is in my opinion the weakest, the EP grows in strength and intensity with each song after it.

The second song, Stain, is a real gem, brilliantly showcasing the potential of Hawk and Dove. With lyrics like, “leave a mark on the city’s face, like love and life leave permanent stains…” the band’s talent is quite apparent.  It is often difficult to find new ways to illustrate topics such as love and life, but the song’s writing is strong and missing the typical clichés of most songs that attempt to express the human conditions of life and love.  The words cause one to think, it is a song that lingers with you.

Boy in the Moon is a melancholy self reflective piece with strong images that leaves the listener free to their own open interpretation of it’s meaning in their own lives.  The song implores us to consider, “How long can you hold your breath?” This is good music, because good music should make you either think or feel good.  This song makes you think.

Overall the instrumentation and musicianship of this band is good and stands to only get better in time as they continue to strengthen their musical skills through live performances and spend more time in the studio honing their craft.  There are some instances where I found the guitar riffs a bit overdone, seemingly sounding like feedback.  This may be an acceptable stylistic element for Hawk and Dove’s genre of music.  For me however, I found it a bit distracting and I found this to be the case on the song, Furious Armies.

On songs such as Stain and Muscle Breaks, the violin played by group member Rachel Lyon truly shines adding layers that make the music richer and vibrant.  Supported by the rest of the band, vocalist Elijah Miller is a distinct singer songwriter with a style so unique it is hard to compare to any artist out there.  This is in fact a good thing, positioning Hawk and Dove to provide a new and interesting voice to a sea of bands and artists that lack their greatest strength.  The strength of true originality.

Reviewed By Naima Johnston

Naima Johnston, Reviews Hawk and Dove, Rocking Chair