Thursday, February 08, 2007

Savanna Roots - Separate

Hear The Track Here

Now it's not that often that I see Old Beardo... Um. Er. (thinks: did I say that out loud?)

Now it's not often that I see young Cam splutter into his beard but the first thing that caught me about this artist was a message from Mr Even Song congratulating Savanah Roots on his (Steven Bennet aka SR) work. I've long followed Cam's reviews and his music and I know he's quite adamant about what works and what does not so to say 'You are simply in a different league than 90% of the artists on Soundclick. This is amazingly well produced material and I'm quite stunned by professional it all sounds!' is - in my eyes - the finest praise you can get on Soundclick - or outside of it for that matter. I read that while I was downloading the track a few days ago and since then I've heard for mysef.

Now maybe it was that buildup but as much as I liked the musical and technical expertise of Separate, it still struck me as a bit ragged. There again, I've got an incredible ear for recording techniques and some of the limitations Savanna Roots has to deal with leads to some odd changes in overall sound. Not that Joe Q Public would ever notice such an inconsquential thing, they'd be too busy rocking out to what turns out to be a pretty fine song with only a couple of what if... moments that didn't sit too well with me. In particular, the guitar progression down during the pre-chorus is distinctly jarring - there is definitely something wrong there.

There again, as I say, that may well be me. Personally I blame Cam.

There is no doubt that Savanna Roots will fit into the guitar rock multitudes that infest Soundclick and judging by this example may well have some very tasty treats up his sleeve. As far as structure, performance and technical ability this shows just how much this artist has to offer and whether you get it or not will probably depend entirely on a question of taste. As pleasant and interesting a listen as it is, it still doesn't grip me the way that I could rave over, and that definitely is a stylistic statement. As much as I like the genre, it has to be a really special song to stand out above the Soundclick crowd and Separate isn't it. I'd be willing to bet though that Savanna Roots does have that track somewhere on the page or even in his mind as we speak. One to watch, methinks.

Classy pop rock and Highly Recommended.

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