This is the 17th solo album by a Massachusetts-based singer-songwriter who was born and raised in New York City.
In a career that now spans over four decades, Rees Shad’s sound has elements of Americana, folk and blues although he claims “I compose music to convey a story. I’m not committed to a genre; I’m committed to building the appropriate landscape for the tale.”
The album opens with the first single - Ain’t That The Way - a gentle song with a topical message. In it Shad advocates speaking truth to power on the basis that silence in the face of blatant injustice simply amounts to complacency.
The song displays a homely manner with laid-back vocals and smooth finger-picking style backed by tastefully laid back arrangements.
Over the course of almost an hour’s worth of genial and thoughtful material nothing jars yet nothing really excites either.
