Dave Preston – Trapped In What’s Beginning

DAVE PRESTON
Trapped In What’s Beginning , 2007

By Mark Altobelli

After the blistering first track, “Kind of Girl”, with Mr. Preston chewing on barbed-wire vox, fluid acoustic guitar charging into power crush-chords and a nifty electric lead, the second tune takes a completely different approach that, at first listen, took me sideways.  “Cleopatra”, a soft, melodious, sweet-voiced love song that proclaims  ‘Love is coming down, I do believe’, slowly tears away the days’ troubles and puts a smile on your face.  Mr. Preston has transformed.  The multi-layered harmonies and upstroke guitar strum is a display of great songwriting and passion.
Song three, “Snow”, starts with another beautiful acoustic intro, heads into an Edge-like guitar chop, calms down before slicing the ears with guitar soloing.  And did I mention the showcasing of Mr. Preston’s vocals?  A liquid, impressive expression of love and hope.
Number four is “Alone”.  Soaring vocals with acoustic six-string, electronics and spacey guitar noodles complement one another.  Drums sneak up and tighten the ship down.  Another sonic transformation.  “Greed” follows with waves of Mr. Preston’s prodigious throat talents, acappella with several Prestons and sparse tribal bass drum.  Very cool.
Trapped In What’s Beginning is supposed to be an EP, but Dave hits us with four more soulfull tunes that make this CD as enduring as anything I have heard in sometime.  “Shooting Star” particularly graces us with guitar-playing that is inspired and rocking.  For a musician that is described as alternative/ambient/experimental, we should add balladeer.  Mr. Preston weaves moving stories with nimble instrumentation and we need more of his writing and singing.  ‘I have nothing to say, no more.’  We hope he has much more to tell us.
www.myspace.com/davepreston

{plusone}