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Steven R.
Brooks: Like the Moon
Like the Moon is former jazz musician Steven R. Brooks first album, and it is a quiet and introspective disc that makes for perfect Sunday morning listening. Featuring songs that remind you of Nick Drake, quiet Paul McCartney, and at times Elliott Smith, Brooks has put together a subtle disc thats easy to listen to. Much of the album features Brooks solo on acoustic guitar, but there is piano, bass, drums, and electric guitar throughout, adding light touches to the songs. The songs themselves are slow, and Brooks subdued vocals lend themselves well to this sort of material I cant imagine how his voice would sound on more upbeat tracks. Unfortunately, the songs do tend to blur together, and the ten tracks are only about a half-hour long. The disc flies by, and it takes a couple of listens before it begins to stick. Highlights of the album are Eclipse, which is pure Nick Drake, and Sweet Morphine, with its hushed harmonies, finger-picked guitar, and a slightly off-kilter bridge that hints at the drug in the title. Like the Moon doesnt ever move much past light folk music, but thats not necessarily a bad thing. Brooks strength lies with the basics, and even though he comes from a jazz background, he didnt try to be fancy just for fanciness sake. Thankfully, he eschews sounding like the patron saint of folk/rock music, Bob Dylan; and by doing so, he avoids many of the pitfalls that those that try too hard to copy him fall into over-earnest, harmonica-laden music that can sometimes be too smart for its own good. The songs on Like the Moon breathe, and even though the record is a little on the short side, thered be no point in making them any longer. The album is very well-produced, with clear acoustic guitar and vocals that are laid bare theres little to no studio trickery here. Overall, this is an impressive debut album, and I look forward to hearing more from Brooks.
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