Scott Waters’ new CD Peace Signs & Dragonflies combines lively melodies with puffs of 1960s pop music sensibilities. Abounding with Beatlesque harmonies, bright pop melodies, sweeping horns, and a large vocal presence, this music will transport its listeners to a better place and time in pop music.
This Connecticut boy’s opening cut “Only What I Love” makes its power pop presence felt. Waters pushes his honey smooth vocal timbre across a landscape of colorful accompaniment. With a looseness in the vocals as well as in the higher register instruments, Waters and his support players unleash a large piece with many moving parts and all of those parts just rock right out.
“Always Love” finds Waters singing with more of a Beatles style rasp as he croons over a wide, sprawling pop rock landscape. A flinty electric guitar chord progression married to a snappy piano line gives this muscle as Waters guides us through his words of wisdom about the ultimate human topic: love The melodic phrasing on guitar turns the listening experience into a lovely time.
Constructing “Save My Life (Like Poetry)” around Phil Mann’s electric piano playing, Waters slowly builds and widens this tune until it envelops all in its warm vibe. Crooning with his smoothest timbre, Waters coats this piece with a lot of affection as well as a bright palette of colors. Each verse he leads us through seems to slightly alter the kaleidoscope to offer more as the song moves along.
A roots flavored tune “County Line” is one of the most fun tracks in its genre. Rhythm section boys Ken Serio and Lawrence V. White keep a thumpy groove to move to as the upper register instruments and this singer offer honky tonk piano, jittery, jangly guitar lines, and a rocking vocal swagger.
“Love Story” is a bright pop gem. Waters keeps this one wholly infectious with his lilting vocal melody. He scoots alongside pop organ swirls, a clean, sweet guitar phrase, and takes turns with Chip Fenney’s saxophone line, both creating wide lines, swooping arcs, and a deeply involving tuft of interplay.
“Paint By Numbers” takes things down tempo while offering the trademark sprawling sweep of instrumentation. Waters’ heartfelt vocal takes its sweet time unfurling his message. Spreading his emotive timbre over this tune, he sounds like a 1960s musical pied piper, drawing all toward his song.
An arcing lead guitar phrase draws us into “Hey, Rock And Roll.” On this anthem to one of the greatest musical forms ever, Waters croons with a mighty force over his punchy support band. His sprawling lead vocal reaches over the sonic landscape and makes it an undeniable force in service to his message.
Slow dance number, “When It’s Only Love” allows Waters to emit lots of emotion in a quiet setting. Singing over a lounge like keyboard and percussion pattern, Waters conjures images of late night dinners at jazzy piano bars. Patrick Lemon’s mellow trumpet line adds another layer of romance, and there could be another couple meeting up on the dance floor.
A breeze of horns makes “Shoelaces” feel like watching a cloud float by on a warm summer’s day. Along that breezy path runs Waters’ smooth, flowing vocal phrase, furthering this piece’s sense of fullness and motion. Eventually, vocals and horns flare up into a huge celebratory vibe that make the whole thing larger than life.
Switching gears, Waters lets his huge voice reign over “You Are My Home.” He makes this acoustic guitar driven work bloom into a three dimensional sonic landscape. Waters begin by filling a lot of space over an acoustic guitar melody. Before long, he’s crooning with majestic sweeps alongside a rush of horn exuberance. Expanding his sound so rapidly makes the listener feel enveloped in something colorful, warm, and fun.
With a largeness of presence, “The Word Goodbye” has got 1960s love song written all over it. Waters vocal runs the gamut from gentle intro to a larger, more dynamic belt. It’s uncanny how well he shifts dynamics until he’s riding a wave of anthem-like enthusiasm.
Closing track “Zarah’s Lullaby” is a personal address to his daughter, complete with dreamy vocals, an engaging acoustic guitar melody, and a synthesized string section. This gentle, sweeping ode to a daughter expresses a lot of emotion with only a light touch from each instrument.
Waters accomplishes much on this Peace Signs & Dragonflies album. Engaging , involving, stirring, and sweeping are just a few of the words that could be used to describe the sensations of listening. Waters has a large musical presence in everything he does. He creates a large sense of motion in a each of his works and the listener enjoys the ride. Produced by keyboardist Phil Mann at SILK CITY MUSIC FACTORY, the albums shines in each meter.
