 The
LDS music market has just found it's equivalent to Josh Groban. Cue
Darin Southam. Minus the trademark curly locks of Groban, Southam's
genre, style, and talent fall right in line with his predecessor.
Southam's voice is unquestionable the strongest aspect of his self-titled
disc, though vocals are accompanied by a full, rich arrangement of
music the likes of which you'd hear on any big label disc. The songs
certainly wouldn't be the same without the full orchestration backing
Southam.
"The Water Is Wide" is the stand-out track of the album,
complete with rich strings and orchestration. Southam's voice is clean
and powerful and perfectly articulates the touching lyrics of the
song.
Made famous by the movie Moulon Rouge, "Come What May" isn't
one that I particularly cared for, though it was a song I wasn't fond
of before Southam tackled it. His performance is flawless, and if
you like the song, his version is at least as good as anything from
the soundtrack.
"Me Puedes Amar", one of the few songs penned by Southam
himself, has lyrics that I don't understand, but nonetheless contribute
to a peaceful, more mellow tune. A flowing guitar solo backed by a
string arrangement makes the music all the better.
The original song "A Way To You" has a juiced up, powerful
bridge which showcases Southam's range and vocal dynamics.
An arrangement of Dan Fogelberg's "Longer" is included.
As with "Come What May", this has never been a song I've
been crazy about, though Southam sings the song well.
"How Could I Have Known" is one that could easily be found
on any Josh Groban CD with sweet melodies, mellow music, and well-written
lyrics.
Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Pie Jesu" features the addition of
vocals by Holly Jo Samuelson whose voice is a perfect complement to
the style and dynamics of Southam.
The disc closes with the classic "What a Wonderful World".
The orchestration on the song is flawless, and Southam sings the song
well, though his style didn't seem to fit that of the song as well
as it fit with the rest of the tracks on the CD.
Aside from a few questionable song choices, Southam's disc is complete
with bursting, crisp vocals and rich orchestration right in harmony
with the masterful Josh Groban. High praise indeed.
------------------------
Cory
Reese |
