Of the tunes Swift leads, don’t take his first, “Need Another Sky,” as an example. Though the organization of the tune is solid, moving from a solitary acoustic guitar strum and vocal to a Dave Mathews-style jam, Swift doesn’t quite own the vocals, quavering on a couple of high notes and coming off slightly thin. Much better are “Out Goes the Old” and “Outside Inside,” which both feature a more pleasing resonance and presence. On the former, he echoes Essex Green’s “Rue de Lis,” a sing-songy jaunt. On the latter, there’s a hitch in his step — “Have you tried to ge-ge-get around?/I see you seem to have run-run-run aground” — supported by great percussion work from Dan Sonenberg (USM composer-in-residence) and guitars that charge and retreat.
The album gets stronger as it goes along in general, finishing with the strongest track, “Not Asking Why,” a quick waltz like you might hear on a Darien Brahms album, with vocal work that’s just out of hand, the mando, drums, and bass (Ronda Dale) combining to suck you along with McKinley’s sultry lead: “And I’ll stand like a tree/Where the ground holds me/Still and not asking why.”
No, Truth About Daisies aren’t your first candidate for next big thing, or likely to be crowded by hipsters, but they build solid songs and deliver them impressively. Carol Noonan has proven you can build a career like that, and there’s no reason to believe the Daisies can’t garner the same sort of fans.
On the Web
Truth About Daisies: www.truthaboutdaisies.com
Email the author
Sam Pfeifle: sam_pfeifle@yahoo.com
