Little Blue (EP)
GIRA Sound (2014)
Sometimes, a little bit of heaven is better than a lot of
"meh." That is the reason you should pick up on Little Blue, an EP
(three tracks, about 14 minutes long, available as download only) from one of
the premier artists in the chill-out keyboard genre, Davol. I raved about his
last two full length releases, Good Sign
and A Day Like No Other and this
"appetizer" of his sunny, catchy, and infectious chilled tuneage is every
bit as good (although, like any great appetizer, it will leave you wanting
more). Davol has an immediately recognizable style due to his main keyboard
sounds, such as that of a strummed rhythm guitar or a lead guitar with its
notes shimmering into an endless reverb, as well as a series of spacy tones and
his iridescent echoed piano, but he also packs so many layers of rhythms,
textures, and keyboards into the mix that his most signature characteristic is
his outstanding way of blending it all together into a seamless whole. Another
of Davol's trademarks is how sunny and cheerful everything always sounds. It's
impossible to be in a bad mood listening to these three tracks: "love,"
"little blue," and "stars in her eyes." The tempo is always
just perfect for chilling yet also great for cruising in your car, a spot-on
midrange between laid back and energetic. From the opening female sighing
vocals on "love" which evolve into a sensual beat and flowing melody
line of assorted synths to the guitar-driven opening of "little blue"
and its swooshing synths and cheery piano line to the dreamy bell tones and
spacy tones that kick off "stars in her eyes" which sends a romantic
radio signal into the night sky amidst its chilled beats, plucked guitar and
soaring keyboards, Davol gives the listener some of the tastiest, most irresistible
ear candy available anywhere (I repeated this disc 5 times while writing this
review). The only downside of Little Blue
is that, as an aural appetizer, you will likely be left asking one question,
"When the hell does the rest of the meal get here?" Patience,
grasshopper, great chill out comes to those who wait.
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