Customer Reviews

Severn Way

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As a huge fan of David Gray, I was pleasantly surprised when I heard this new singer/songwriter for the first time. There were definite David Gray influences, but it wasn't a carbon-copy. So, I wasn't too shocked to find out that Pernell's debut CD was Mixed by Tim Bradshaw, David Gray's keyboardist! On Severn Way, Tim contributed by playing Keyboards, Lead Guitar, Bass & even programming those addictive David Gray'esque drum loops. OK, as wonderful as all of that may be, it would have been a useless cover if the songs couldn't carry their own weight. The truth is, Pernell has done a wonderful job of expressing his honest emotions on this album, and in a way that's very accessible. You find yourself thinking, "Hey, I've been there. Wait, I've been there, too. Hey, is this me singing?" Pernell's done an incredible job of being true to himself and his audience through his lyrics on Severn Way. My favorite song on the album is "Next." Not only does it have an overly addictive melody, but it tackles a question we all encounter when we get to a certain point in a relationship. In the words of Pernell, "...when I speak do you hear me? Is this your favorite song. This one..." It's that pivotal moment when you're not sure if you mean as much to someone as you thought you did. It's brilliant. "Next," covers a lot of ground, but that one idea really stuck out in my mind. Another great song is "Midnight Detroit." In this song, Pernell is alone in a hotel room thinking about his distant love. She's far away, but she still lives inside of him. Instead of it being melancholy, this song's chorus resounds a relieving sigh of, "...it's alright. It's ok. 'Cause I see your face on every page..." And when Pernell sings, "...you're so special, can't you see..." in "Madeline," you feel like he's talking about you. You find yourself saying, "hey, I AM special." The prosody is excellent. The only constructive criticism that I would have for Pernell is that in a couple of the songs, the lyrics can become a bit abstract or cryptic. But, overall, the message comes across in a very poignent & honest way. If I were Pernell Disney, I would be very excited to have created such a strong debut album. I know incredible artists who's debut albums have been hemispheres worse. Congratulations on a job well done.

Brian

Really good record. Everything just seems to gel just right. It's one of those where you want to hear it again once it's over." I'm from Hollywood" is a real highpoint. Cool loops, cool playing, cool songs and a cool voice. Well worth investigating.

Really good record. Everything just seems to gel just right. It's one of those where you want to hear it again once it's over." I'm from Hollywood" is a real highpoint. Cool loops, cool playing, cool songs and a cool voice. Well worth investigating.

The attempts to create something melodic and enjoyable was devestated by the pitch problems, the lack of any originality and the whiny tone of the vocalist's voice and lyrics. My suggestion, don't waste your money on this unless you are interested in paying for the singer to take lessons in tuning one's instrument and voice, properly. Even used, it's not worth the cash.