Dru Cutler - Hometown (2017)

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Written by Montey Zike, posted by blog admin

Despite residing in Brooklyn, there’s very little of the Big Apple’s grit rubbing off on Dru Cutler’s latest release Hometown. The two songs compromising his latest studio outing strike quite  a contrast, but there’s an unity of purpose behind the sonics of both and his voice comes through on both tracks as the guiding instrument in each mix. He’s served quite well by some sterling musical backing and has obviously recruited players committed to serving the song above reaching for ill-concaved moments of instrumental glory. Both cuts are quite complete and don’t seem to be lacking anything. Instead, they have a finished sense that, when taken together, feels more impressive than many much longer efforts and the production highlights that without ever imposing a thick, pretentious cloud of theatricality over the performances. Hometown is a fantastic release, if brief, and nicely sets Cutler up for the next step in his rapidly ascending career.

“Hometown” manages to come off in rousing fashion without ever becoming too strident. That’s the first indication of the artistic control Cutler brings to the song, but his talent for exploiting a relatively simple melody and making far more of it than listeners might think possible is another key to the song’s success. The piano is primarily responsible for the song’s melodic strengths, but his vocal strengths are ideal for the melody. The lyrical content is certainly ripped from personal experience or else Cutler possesses a formidable imagination. The songwriting wisely emphasizes an universality of experience that will let potential listeners easily connect with the song. The use of harmony vocals in the song is never heavy, but it does signal a sharp uptick in quality when they enter the picture, “Hometown” is a work of great musical and lyrical maturity framed for best possible effect.

“Infinite Moons” achieves its effects through accumulation rather than immediately showing all its cards/ The electric guitar is used a little more differently here with some emphasis on distorted passages, but it has a more orchestral approach than we heard on the first track. There’s a much more ambient, dreamlike quality to this, ala Pink Floyd, and it might seem a surprising turn for novices based on the release’s lead off track, but a close listen reveals much of the sane intent driving this performance that informed the first performance,  This different approach is one of the factors making this performance such a notable success, but it goes beyond that. The versatility exhibited here makes a case that Cutler is capable of anything he sets his mind to. It’s an invigorating listen based on that alone. The fact he turns out such quality material within such a limited frame makes Hometown one of the most unlikely compelling releases this year.