June 9, 2005
By Susan Frances
Coby Brown
Truth Shines
Independent
B+
Coby Brown's six-track demo, Truth Shines, is a bluesy soundtrack with shavings of pop, rock and R&B. His vocals sail with natural descents and crests in the melody, creating a canvas of mosaic textures. The songs range from brisk, mid-tempo allegros to soft, flowing legatos. The bluesy contextual arrangements are reminiscent of works by Jonny Lang, Susan Tedeschi and Kenny Wayne Shepard.
The lead track, "Truth Shines," is a lively number with a springy tambourine score harmonizing with the ascending guitar parts, which gradually unfold to a flourishing ambit and intricate drum loops that incisively fluctuate the momentum. The central third track, “Waiting," is filled by guitar strums of sprite brush strokes, an even rhythmic tide, and vocals that move hand in hand with the billows in the string arrangements created by the violin patterns. In the upbeat numbers like the first three tracks - "Truth Shines," "I'm Not Leaving," and "Waiting" – Coby induces them with a breathy, softly sonorous bridge, which shifts the dynamics of the pieces before segueing the movements back upward through ascending guitar scales.
The last three tracks - "The Distance," "Big Living," and "Sleep" – move at a slower pace. The instruments keep in step with one another, offering tight compositions that are pleasing on the eardrums. The bluesy keyboard sequence on "Big Living" is worked in conjunction with the percussive sounds of a shaker. The combination forms a pivotal movement of rolling waves. The final number, "Sleep," has darker hued tones with an intrinsically brooding quality. The musical arrangement is sparse but the vocal notes fill in the spaces snugly and the chiming pitches in the vocal tones provide the piece with a delicately sweet pop confection.
Maybe the only downside to the EP is that there are only six songs on it, which ends the album too quickly for the listener.
