Posted on: October 24, 2007 Posted by: James McQuiston Comments: 0

Dave Patten – Fly Away / 2007 Self / 12 Tracks / http://www.davepatten.com /

We here at NeuFutur reviewed Patten’s last album, “Too Close, Too Far” in late 2006. This is Dave Patten’s new album, and we were lucky enough to receive it a few days ago. Patten’s “Too Close, Too Far” was a solid album, and “Fly Away” immediately builds on the successes of that earlier album. “Fly Away” starts out with “Garden of Eden”, a track that has hints of the Counting Crows, John Maher, and even a little bit of Dishwalla. The vocals start out similarly, mixing Dave Matthews and Adam Duritz; the resulting blend of vocal and instrumental components makes for a track that will do perfectly on the college circuit.

 The additional grit of the vocals on “Garden of Eden” widens the net to allow for fans of Nickelback to appreciate the track; while the song is much more sedate than a Nickelback track, this added grit will elicit comparisons to Nickelback. The guitar work that begins the title track is amazing in its ability to affect emotions despite not being incredibly intricate. The vocals work with the melody crafted by the guitar work, and make for an interesting rock that track that has Elvis Costello as its spiritual predecessor. “Everyday” brings some blues and southern rock influences to “Fly Away” while keeping the same infectious vocal style that was present during both “Fly Away” and “Garden of Eden”.

If anything, the vocals here go the extra mile and make the track that much better. “Garden of Eden” adds a little bit of an electronic sound to Patten and his band; the opening of “Garden of Eden” has a lot in common with H.O.T.’s “Outside Castle”. Patten further expands his repertoire during “Got What It Takes” with the use of multiple vocal layers; these additional vocals make the track full. “Be Alone” is perhaps the most interesting of all tracks on “Fly Away”. This is due to the fact that the tempo of the song turns on the dime, and the vocals add a James Hetfield-like inflection at point. Couple these additions with the typical catchy rock music of Dave Patten, and what he has in this track is one that could easily become the next “big thing” in college rock radio circles. Patten has evolved in the two years since “Too Close, Too Far”, and I believe that he and his band will only continue to do so in the years that follow.

Top Tracks: Be Alone, Taken

Rating: 7.3/10

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