Customer Reviews

Sunflower

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This is a beautiful album. For those familiar with Darden Smith, the sound on this album falls somewhere between the terrific "Little Victories" and the more subdued "Deep Fantastic Blue". For those not familiar with this literate songwriter, this cd is on par with the best work of Jackson Browne or Pierce Pettis--and I dare say, on this effort, superior. Quite simply, this is adult pop music (with folk/jazz leanings) performed with a passion and honesty rarely heard on modern radio.

"Sunflower" is 45-minutes long and features probably the best two songs Darden Smith has ever recorded: "Satellite" is a beautiful acoustic tune (the entire album is basically acoustic) detailing a relationship with some serious commitment problems. Lyrically, it is trenchant and poetic. Musically, it is strumming, melodic perfection. The other, "Closer to You" is equally beautiful and poetic. The lyrical focus of this album is on adult relationships--both good and bad and the consequences we all have to face for choices made (both good and bad). Musically, "Sunflower" fits the singer songwriter mode, but with a tinge of jazz, folk, and perfect adult pop. The musicians are top notch and in addition to Darden Smith's smooth voice, Kim Richey and Patty Griffin provide additional vocals.

Of the 12 songs on this disc, there is not a dud. And I daresay, none is short of terrific. Rarely does an album give me goosebumps, but this one did upon first listen and still does. "Sunflower" is a wonderful disc. Very Highly Recommended.

Darden Smith's new album is the musical equivalent of comfort food. It's a musical pick-me-up guaranteed to brighten your day. Yet, at the same time that this album exudes warmth, it also maintains a high standard of artistry and complexity.
To be sure, "Sunflower" is more whimsical, more plentiful in daydreams (to steal a lyric from one of his new tunes) than some of Smith's past work.
The songs on this album may not tear at your heartstrings the way that songs from prior albums by Smith do. Yet, they are poignant and moving, not due to their intensity or rawness, but because of their keen insight into human conflict and resolution.
For example, "Satellite" charts the course of a couple who stay in limbo because they are too afraid to decide their own destiny. "Perfect Moment," which is a poem-like ballad celebrating life, almost makes me want to pack up my bags and embark on a road trip out to the desert. "Till It Bled"and "Stronger" almost work as bookends to one another, and are standouts in their own rights.
Smith's awareness of his own progression musically and personally is cleverly played out in this album. At least one of his songs on "Sunflower" seems consciously to allude to lyrics from a prior song.
The craftsmanship on this album provides testimony both to Smith's talent and experience. He gets able back up from several different singers, including Patty Griffin and Kim Richey.
This is an artist with a broad emotional and musical range who continues to impress with every new effort. In this collection, Smith remains remarkably in harmony with the highs and lows that add up to a rewarding and interesting life.

I've been a fan of Darden's for years and I've
been waiting a long time for him to create something
new that hit me like his 1993 release "LITTLE VICTORIES".
With "SUNFLOWER" he has come pretty close and with repeated listens
(meaning give it a chance to sink in, play it!) this collection will
not only move you with great songwriting but touch
your heart and mind. Darden has moved away from trying
to make a commercial breakthrough like he attempted back
in 93' in favor of tight beautiful songs and melodies
and very moving, at times soft and melancholy singing.
You'll find Patty Griffin and Kim Richey singing along
on many of these tracks and it just makes the whole
project so much more special. My favorites on this
gem are Stronger,'Till it bled, Satellite, Perfect Moment,
Shadow, New Gospel, Easier said than done. This is about
as pure in voice that I've heard from the male perspective
in a long time, and not since Jackson Browne have I heard
a singer/songwriter musician dig this deep about life, dreams
seperation, and moving on with life. So far one of the best
releases of the year.

Every instrument and sound and lyric in this cd are all amazing. When I first got it, I said "it's allright", but I just got more and more hypnotized by this cd, and it literally played 50-60 times in a row in my car cd player, and I am still not sick of it at all... this might sound like a weird or made up review, but it's not. This CD inspired me to get 8 more of Darden's albums... I am certain that they will not be as good as this one, but I cannot imagine this guy writting anything bad. Every song on "SUNFLOWER" is catchy, not repetitive, origanal, and there isn't a bad song in the mix. His voice is very controled and perfect, and the acompanyment is the best I have ever heard. I think I have said enough. I felt obligated to say something. I hope somebody gets this album because of what I have written here because it is amazing. From sampling the rest of Darden's albums on amazon, my second favorite is "Field of Crows".

I've been through several stages with this album, which if nothing else reveals that it's possible to interpret many of its songs in different ways. Least comfortable for me was the suspicion that this was a sneaky attempt to force a religious message on me, by dressing up spiritual thoughts as love songs. And then I heard an interview with Darden that put a different slant on things. He revealed that "Shadow" is about the darker side of himself that he's found a way to accept, and when you know this, it makes sense. If there's a message in "Sunflower", it's that you can see the beauty in things if you put your mind to it, and that this has the potential to change your life.
If that sounds trite, it's not the way it comes over in the songs, and "Easier Said Than Done" explicitly explores the difficulties of living out the message very neatly. "New Gospel" on the other hand, perhaps the most curious song on the album, uses all the language of religion, in an almost irreverent way, to "preach" the idea. Novel.
None of this would be any good though if "Sunflower" was musically substandard, and I'm happy to report that it is anything but. In fact, it is nothing short of miraculous.
Take a song like "Stronger". It's a defiant song about getting over a relationship, with an almost gleeful background of distorted guitars, very subtle, but rising like a cry of freedom rises in the throat. That's typical of the way these songs are punctuated musically. There's evidence of it all over the album, like the playful piano "full-stop" that marks the end of "Stronger" and the geometric rhythms of the beautiful "Perfect Moment", one of my favourite tracks. As always, Darden's lyrics are faultless, and his vocals softer and more seductive than ever. It's a distinctive, beautifully produced album that can stop you in your tracks. I haven't heard a better album this century...

Darden Smith has always put out consistently excellent music. "Sunflower" is very different from the classic "Skin" on "Deep Fantastic Blue" or his "Little Victories" CD. This is music that is upbeat, happy and positive, but still music that comes out of dealing with the often sobering realities life brings.

Peace & contentment shine on the soft thoughtful opener "Perfect Morning," "A perfect woman, the stars align, love doesn't travel in straight lines." "Satellite" follows with a distinctive pop melody & a dense wall of electric guitar as the singer wants "to be caught in your gravity." "Stronger" counterpoints guitar & drum and deals with love as an addiction, "I'm getting stronger the further you are away." Darden further adds, "Learned to tell the difference between a miracle & a magic trick." My favorite track is "After All This Time." The gentle melody builds so gracefully, "Talk about love, talk about livin', talk about trying to be forgiven." "Closer to You" is another soft pop melody, "Love so simple, love so plain comin' down on me like the rain." The samba-like "Daydream" has a gorgeous melody, "If I could live my life in reverse, then even I could break that curse & start again; instead of losing, we might win." "Dreams Don't Lie" has a simple midtempo melody entertaining thoughts about what it would be like to be on one's own. The thoughtful "Shadow" is gentle and reassuring, "Walk beside me, be my shadow & we won't have to be afraid." A simple piano line & the strum of guitar open "'Till It Bled" that blossoms into a great pop chorus, "I bang my head on the wall, but you don't change at all." "Easier Said Than Done" is another soft pop tune. "New Gospel" is a bouncy track, "Don't you want to hear the good news of forgiveness? Sins against our love are washed away." The CD concludes with the wistful slow tune "Swept Away." Darden's "Sunflower" is bright and sunny, but it is also thoughtful in its joy. It gives the feel of music borne by experience. Enjoy this special set.