Brenda David
Better Part of Me
Cadillac
Brenda David approaches music with the seasoned skills of a longtime vet. Her voice exudes self-confidence and charm and not false sentimentality or forced angst. And although she branches out into different styles on this CD, her singing follows a straightforward path of jazz-styled chill-out calmness. She never gets overly emotional, even on a topic as sad and shocking as the Muslim women who are forced to live their lives with their faces covered and their rights severed (“Behind the Veil”).
Co-produced by David herself, this is a polished, classy affair aching for major-label status. With the rise of online marketing, we are seeing more unsigned solo acts renting quality studio time and surrounding themselves with top-notch talent. David is easily among the best of the current crop. On “Call Your Name,” David presents herself as a country girl with a spiritual heart and a poet’s eye for imagery: “It rolls in like thunder/ Settles in like rain/ A mist against the window/ Thoughts gathered on the pane/ Against the darkness of the night.” Yes, the lady can write as well as she can sing.
There’s a bit of roots rock in David, and of all the chameleon shape-shifting she does, I find myself enjoying that part of her the best, which takes hold on “When I’m Gone” and “Come In From the Rain.” I have a soft spot for jangling guitars and it’s refreshing to hear a shot of Americana sung by a woman.
On the title cut, David slips into a jazz mood, and while her laidback vocals seem best suited for that, she has no problems at all adjusting to the mood swings of her muse.
Brenda David: http://cdbaby.com/cd/davidb2
