David G Cox: David G Cox
David G Cox: David G Cox
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Friday, 05, Mar 2010 03:31
By Matt Gardner
Dreamtrak, out March 8th.
In a nutshell.
Slow and low, that is the tempo.
What's it all about?
This is David G Cox's debut album, which will be available through digital means before an eventual physical release in May. The one-named, three-person group looks to harness the power of folk, shanties, blues, country and music hall, alongside a cavalcade of vocal harmonies.
Who's it by?
A travelling artist, David G Cox currently hangs his hat in Cambridge where he's doing a PHD in black American folklore and gospel. He's been in the garage rock bands Fever High Rollers and the Solution, supporting the Coral at one point in his career and hitting the heights of band fame at Reading Festival.
Despite his great experience, he left to pursue his own vision and one that is based around three-part harmonies to rival those put forward by Crosby Stills and Nash as well as the Beatles. Quite the task.
Alongside him sits two other accomplished singers: the classically-trained Lucy Wilford, who has been heard on Radio 4 plenty; and English folk talent Chad Mason, who specialises in providing falsetto backing vocals. A pretty good set-up, then, and a seemingly modest one at that.
So is it any good?
I wasn't too sure what to make of this at first. David G Cox's vocals are pretty damn unique and it's baffling to think that such a well-pitched vocal talent can emerge from the throat of a man who looks about 15 years too young to have such a mature and almost world-weary pitch.
He sounds like a younger, clearer and somewhat more upbeat version of Tom Waits in many parts of the album, particularly the self-titled debut's opener The Serpent's Tale. However, he's his own man for much of the rest; you could compare to dozens of artists but even after combining them using ratios, you'd never get this man's sound.
What truly makes this offering is the consistently excellent accompaniment put forward by Lucy Wilford, who has a frankly remarkable range. It goes from sweet choral elegance akin to the style recently demonstrated (albeit not quite as successfully) by Wichita's First Aid Kit to what can only be compared to the innocent tones of Jane Birkin on Histoire de Melody Nelson, the epic from Serge Gainsbourg (the latter in the song Duet, notably). It helps that both of the aforementioned artists are bloody brilliant.
All the while, Chad Mason's falsetto completes songs without you even realising; while he isn't as vocally dominating in his role with David G Cox, his high notes hit the spot and accentuate what even Lucy may not hit, or at least what she's too busy to sing (for fear of indirectly criticising a national radio-grade classical artist).
David G Cox's varied background in music is demonstrated flawlessly in parts of the album; it can jump from the lilting blues of the black-dominated 50s Deep South in tracks such as She Moves Through The Blue, to toy piano-infused relaxed folk - real folk, mind you - in Merry-Go-Round. This album, therefore, definitely reflects learning from his PhD.
You realise just how excellent this trio is in Forever and a Day - the shortest and possibly most beautiful track on the entire offering, finishing the first half of the album. The constantly flowing acoustic guitar is matched with vocals that never seem to pause for breath. It's almost like classical folk rapping with the expected mind-blowing accompaniment from Lucy, who makes short work of backing vocals that would likely bowl anyone else over. It's probably the first song I've listened to three or four times in a row for the last three or four years, it's that good.
To the untrained ear, or putting this on as background filler, will likely have many people writing it off as a slow, low and inoffensive folk album with little power. All you need to do is sit down with it for a few minutes and really take it in. The inoffensive nature stays with you, as it's hard to actively dislike any song. The lyrics and harmonies add so much weight to the songs and make you forget any past transgressions you may have had from a passive role.
The only criticism to have is that David G Cox's self-titled album is perhaps limited in diversity, though this fear is only borne out of the desire to hear them put their talents to a wider range. They suit what they do, though a couple of even-tempo songs wouldn't go amiss.
I'd love to predict great things for David, Lucy and Chad, though it's for the common sense of the public to decide. Don't wait for the physical release of this, though. Get the album online. If you're a fan of the genres they cover, it's a must; if not, take the plunge anyway.
9/10