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Written
by David Shouse, posted by blog admin
The
newest outing from Tampa, Florida native Dru Cutler, Hometown, scarcely
qualifies as an EP release and should be more rightly considered a single with
accompanying high quality B side. It is a major work, however, despite its
brevity. Even in such condensed surroundings, Cutler doesn’t limit his
ambition. These two songs aspire to something different than similarly
constructed releases from his peers. He’s clearly using this release as a
transitional offering in some ways, the songs being clear evidence for the
future quality of his work, but it stands on its own as an excellent release.
The songs on this release stand apart thanks to their maturity and intense
musicality – they are songs, particularly the title track, sure to be audience
pleasers of the highest order. Hometown shows off just a sliver of his skills,
but the shine is intense.
It’s
very impressive how he brings together the primary strands of the title song together
so effortlessly. The piano playing especially stands out thanks to its
uncluttered and focused approach, but the drumming sets an emphatic tone to
carry the performance. Acoustic guitar, presumably courtesy of Cutler, gives
the track a reliable underpinning that never lets up. It keeps an energetic
pulse thanks to the pounding percussion augmenting the surrounding players. The
recording emphasizes the drumming to excellent effect. All of it gives Cutler a
solid foundation for his lyric about bygone times and the lingering impact it
leaves in memory many years later. It’s a thoughtful piece of writing filled
with personal and universal imagery alike that Cutler delivers with just the
right phrasing. His vocal falls nicely in lockstep with the musical backing and
it makes for number sure to go over quite well in a live setting.
The
second song on the release, “Infinite Moons”, cops an entirely different mood.
This is a much more artful, less musically obvious piece of work, but core
elements of Cutler’s style continue shining through. His willingness to use guitar
not as a lead instrument but, instead, a powerful brush color only to be used
with restraint sets him apart from many performers in this vein. The drumming
remains every bit as powerful on this song, but it’s turned to different ends –
timing isn’t nearly as dependable so the drummer is forced to be more inventive
than before and responds beautifully. It strikes a powerful contrast with the
earlier song and shows Cutler is far from a performer you can nearly package
into a single box. Hometown, instead, gives us a brief but vivid glimpse into
the true range of his talents. It’s a thrilling look at one of the most
promising young talents on the scene today.
Grade:
A
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