Glow, the new album from Rhode Island’s GrandEvolution, shows tremendous improvement since their last fine recording. Sarah Kenyon’s voice must have taken years to have a presence and to contrasts with all of the flintier elements going on around her. She lays her voice down perfectly in all of these ambient rockers, songs that have their own sweeping, larger than life personalities. Scott Kenyon’s drums and Greg Bromberg’s bass guitar fill things out well around Mrs. Kenyon’s voice and rhythm guitar. There is also a list of guest musicians kicking energy and talent into these songs.
Kenyon’s vocal on Opening track “Finding Beauty” floats by like a dream while being punctuated by a sold rhythm section. This down tempo spellbinder contrasts the vocals and upper register instruments. As Kenyon’s voice reaches a high point in expression, a guest guitarist chimes in with a bucking, fierce lead phrase that makes one feel this song is exploding into something bigger, better.
Guest keyboardist Jon Patrick Brennan injects a line of dreamy electric piano notes to “Shattered.” It’s a nice cushion for Kenyon’s rangy lead vocal as well as a good companion for GrandEvolution’s palpable groove as a guest musician presses out a wide, feisty phrase. The vocals soar, the keyboard wooshes, the guitars erupt, and then the bombastic groove glues it all together in one fine pastiche of rocking sound.
“Alive” begins at a crawl, a drawling piece that lets Kenyon’s floating voice have a lot of open space to move around in. As she sweetly cruises over a mild push from the rhythm section, her voice expresses a lot of feeling with its width, depth, and breadth. Hers is a large voice, and it needs the bass guitar and drums to keep her grounded. This continues to work well when the rocking band turns up the heat with another guest musician playing a blistering lead guitar over the slow, purposeful march of the groove.
“Stranger” steadies things with a kick beat, pulling the listener right in. From there, Kenyon’s voice becomes a pleasant part of the ride, her smooth girlish flow travels the rails gracefully. This one has a large, wide sound, complete with a gentle keyboard line that just barely touches the ear as a plentitude of drum fills carries this one home.
Another mellow rocker, “In Ruins,” contrast Kenyon’s smooth vocal ride with shiny bits of keyboard and guitar notes. She creates an ethereal presence with her own personal timbre. An exquisite lead guitar break compliments Kenyon’s signature rhythm guitar line, a line that defines the motion and the sound of this piece.
The aptly named “Pipe Dream” fits in with the overall musical theme of this Glow album. Kenyon’s voice is airy, light touch from the keyboards and they rhythm section are dreamy. A lead guitar solo has a quality of coming in for a landing from somewhere on high. Kenyon’s vocals sweep this one, a voice that reaches ever higher and ever wider, arriving at lofty places along the way.
Despite its title “Nightmare” is actually a joyful sounding rock song Kenyon’s vocal, even and sweet, rides a puff of keyboard swoosh while the rhythm section gives it all a gentle push with palpable fills and smooth low end runs. The “nightmare” theme is about mov8ing on from a bad situation, and that always leads to a positive songwriter experience. This piece is no exception and it inspires with its long, arcing melodic strength.
“Chemistry” eases its way in with a brief synth interlude before settling comfortably into a down tempo contemplative piece. Kenyon’s large vocal presence maintains itself in a quieter vibe here. Still, her wide voice has plenty of feeling within, and she moves its wide range, pushing the groove and a synth swirl along, pulling in all listeners with something that slows like a parachute, envelops like a blanket.
“Wish” comes on strong, slappy organ chords and pushy electric guitar chords set an assertive tone. From there, Kenyon needs only her natural talents at the microphone. She rocks out a bit more here as the band spanks the drums, slaps the notes out of the bass, and a guitarist builds hefty chords beneath her vocals. She still sings prettily amidst the rocking action, and the contrast between the instruments and her and backing vocalist Carissa Coleman works well too..
Slow crawling rock ballad “Best Feeling” gets a dreamy atmosphere from slowly picked lead guitar notes as well as washy synth drawls. Kenyon’s wide, pretty timbre coats the atmospheric with a tenderness, a sensitivity to her lyrical subject matter, and that all come together to make this song special.
Closing out with title track “Glow” GrandEvolution leave us with another wide sweeping ballad turned rocker. Kenyon’s vocal assertions get lift in each verse, moving with grace from line to line, hovering above sweet notes from guitar and keyboard. Her grinding rhythm guitar, a mounting lead guitar phrase, and the pushy groove beneath her vocal give each other a fine contrast, leaving the listener with a grand finale while offering glimpses of what might come next from this band.
GrandEvolution have taken several steps up from their previous album, Tell Me Why, which was also well received. This time around GrandEvolution have got themselves a fine, cohesive sound throughout their disc. The trio, with their guest players, take their sound in some interesting directions, and it all amounts to one impressive work. Produced at IAmSpyder Studios by Scott Kenyon, John Patrick Brennan, and Chris David, and, mastered by Jeff Lipton and Maria Rice at Peerless Mastering, Glow plays out as well as a voice like Kenyon’s and the support players need to be recoded. Perfectly.
