Band: Randall Shreve
Album: The Cure for Yesterday
Best Element: Honest songwriting
Genre: Pop
Website: www.randallshreve.com
Label: n/a
Band E-mail: randall@randallshreve.com
Randall Shreve has spent most of his life playing in bands. GS Megaphone was his most notable success in earlier years, led by his brother Benjamin Del Shreve. After the band disbursed he began a project on his own while playing a short time in the Orlando, FL band Rook.
It may have taken 2 years, but it could be worth the wait. In The Cure For Yesterday Randall plays all instruments, has penned the lyrics, and recorded the entire record from start to finish at his own Carnaby Street Studios. He really shines in a way that shows he is comfortable in his own skin, and not afraid to let others crawl in it with him. This is a fairly epic pop record, with most songs clocking in at about 5 minutes or longer as a story unfolds for two lovers and their journey. There is obviously an autobiographical touch to the theme as his MySpace site (www.myspace.com/randallshreve) shares this quote:
“I’m not sure why I write so much in story form”, says Shreve. “I think it may be a way of feeling like someone can relate to something I’m going through at the time I write a song. Instead of writing about how I feel, I write about how my story’s character feels, and then I sympathize with him or her.”
The self-titled first single crescendos between lightly droning pianos wrapped in a muse-like vocal track into full-on strings and horns with several intertwining vocal tracks. That leaves you unprepared for the Cake-like bass line of “Charlie and Beth” and the pseudo rap effect before exploding back into harmonies and full instrumentation that Cake couldn’t accomplish at its best. In “Pop Star” Randall tells no lies, and he celebrates the music and the goals that this record represents. His talent really shines on tracks like “The Kiss” and “Prayers from a Red Light District.” While the latter is vocals-only, it is an instrument showcase for his talent instead of obstructing it in any way.
After playing throughout the South and Southwest United states, it appears that as 2007 approaches his appeal is growing, and several showcases are being prepared in New York for both large booking agencies and possibly Warner Bros. The talent is there, and with proper push we could start hearing and seeing a lot more of this talented musician on many different levels.
-Kendall
First printed on ThePlugg.com