Some artists can write ear candy in their sleep, and Saul Zonana is one of those
artists. Though still without major-label affiliation, Zonana is one of those
rare songwriters who can just churn out radio-friendly material, one album after
another, with very few if any filler tracks. So it should be no surprise that
his latest, 42 Days, is more of the same. But I’ll go one further here. I
think this is the best Zonana album to date, and the already-stellar songs are
accentuated by the production wizardry of Adrian Belew.
“Silver Jacket” and “Thinking” are instantly addictive, with Zonana’s familiar,
slightly raspy rock vocal and just enough guitars and backing vocals to make the
song come out. “I Try” is a trance-inducing song about something we can all
relate to: waiting for that phone call that never seems to come. “Do You Believe
Her?” is a really cool acoustic-driven song.
Then we get into some of the tracks that Belew produced. “Hey Now,” a song about
a 12-year-old boy who wants to become a fighter pilot and eventually does, is
the coolest track on here, and has a gang vocal chorus that makes Zonana sound
like a young Joe Walsh. “Every Now and Then” is another Belew-produced track
that is more melodic brilliance. But it’s “Chasing It” that really hit me as the
best track on the record, the one that hits you in the gut and that you want to
listen to again and again.
And it’s worth noting that Belew contributes some incredible guitar and vocal
tracks of his own in addition to producing those three songs, and that Aaron
Comess of the Spin Doctors played drums on them. But really, as always with Saul
Zonana, the songs are what it’s all about. Clearly this is still an artist to
keep an eye on, because he’s one of the most talented independent artists on the
streets today.
~Mike Farley
mfarley@bullz-eye.com
|
|
|