I first became familiar with Steve Hindalong as the drummer for THE LOST DOGS and THE CHOIR, two critically acclaimed bands with long track records of quality music leaning decidedly toward the freedom of classification that can be found under the umbrella of ‘alternative music.’ Considering the fact that my familiarity with the catalogs of THE LOST DOGS and THE CHOIR is relatively thin and the fact that THE WARBLER is Hindalong’s first solo album since 1998’s SKINNY, I really had no idea what to expect. But, I’ve been more than pleasantly surprised by the album over the last month or so. My first good listen came while driving down the interstate as the sun was going down during the first leg of a long family road trip. I simply couldn’t have picked a better album in that context. Hindalong’s lyrics delightfully dance between celebrations of life, quiet introspection, and ruminations on relationships, faith, and personal demons. THE WARBLER is characterized by Hindalong’s skillful phrasing and honest vocal delivery which intertwine comfortably on a bed of lush, and skillfully arranged music. Artists like Lynn Arthur Nichols, Kevin Max, Dwayne Larring and Jimmy Abegg contribute to the project in a manner that truly enlightens the whole without simply being present in the mix for the sake of a name-dropping roll call. The song “Jimmy A,” released prior to the album as a whole, was the song that interested me in this project and it exhibits many of the best qualities of the album as a whole, but, there isn’t a single dud on this album. I could list each song and elaborate upon its merits, but the time that you spend reading my commentary which, surely, would fail to adequately articulate each track’s glory, would just delay the time between you reading this review and purchasing THE WARBLER for yourself. Because time spent holding beauty at bay in anyone’s life is a shame, I’ll end this review here so that you can do yourself the favor of acquiring THE WARBLER for yourself. You’re welcome.
Purchase THE WARBLER here:
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