Wave 21
delivers direct, well played and melodically strong music appealing to a wider
audience than purists. Their style is described as country rock, but it is
limiting as a label. Wave 21’s songwriting from sisters Mary Lynn and Emmy Lou
Doroschuk definitely touches on country and faint rock influences, but there’s
an undeniable intelligent pop sophistication with their songs unlike much of
what we hear from this style today. The sisters are the talented offspring
of Men Without Hats’ producer and guitarist Stefan Doroschuk and their
talents on display are the results of working at their craft since an early
age. Their father joins them in Wave 21 as a bassist and violin player while,
as well, playing the role of producer for this superb sounding release. This
Montreal based band, however, isn’t just a way for the Doroschuk’s to get their
music out there – Wave 21 plays like a full fledged outfit and never
disappoints.
There’s
definitely a rock influence in the band’s music, even if we don’t hear it often,
and the reverberating drums leading us into the first song “Ya Ya Ya” soon
settles sonically and establishes a lean, surging groove. The refrain of the
song title reflects the joy at the heart of this performance better than any of
the lyrics, but those are nonetheless quite fine for what the song requires.
Mary Lynn Doroschuk’s voice immediately captures your ear and, despite the
obviously fine quality of her voice, she never “over sings” or attempts to
dominate the track. Instead, Doroschuk shapes her voice to each of the album’s
ten songs and it makes these tracks immeasurably stronger efforts. The lead
guitar has a delicious twang without ever sounding over-exaggerated, but
acoustic guitar lays down a consistent groove across the entirety of the song.
“Love
Shouldn’t Make Me Cry” has a great sound, the instruments seeming to entwine
rather than sounding like your typically structured performance, and there are
some moments really standing out in the arrangement. The rhythm section
contributions are the most important thing in bring this song off with Stefan
Doroschuk’s bass playing bringing some intensely creative fills into the
performance. You can’t help but admire how they put this one together. “The Fun
Times” is another achievement on the album. The band proves they aren’t above
confounding a listener’s expectations and add a song to the album notable for a
number of reasons, its hard-earned wisdom simply put among them.
The final
high point for me is the song “Catch Me”. This is a country influenced gem with
a decided pop sensibility, particularly in how well the Doroschuk sisters
refurbish the theme with their own spin on the tradition, and it sounds like
the best chorus to me on an album full of them. Wave 21 are going to gain
considerable notice thanks to the quality of this album and sound well on their
way to long, respected careers. The ten songs on this debut are full of lessons
you cannot teach.
REVERBNATION:
https://www.reverbnation.com/wave21band
Joshua
Beach
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