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Do you believe in magic?! Well, we do. Especially since we’ve heard this album. Marina is proud to present a brand new recording artist: Mr Brent Cash - a musical wunderkind from Athens, GA (home of R.E.M. and The B-52s, among others).
Brent entitled his debut album “How Will I Know If I’m Awake” and it is almost too good to be true. Sounding like a lost sunshine pop classic from the 60s, the record is overflowing with hook-laden choruses, multi-layered vocal harmonies and lush sophisticated arrangements. It’s the sound of endless summers and good vibrations...
From the start, multi-instrumentalist Cash decided to record his songs like “they did it back then”. So no costs were spared to hire the best musicians in town and assemble a mini-orchestra featuring strings, brass and even a harp (!). The results are simply stunning.
From the opening chords of “Everything That’s Grey” we enter melody wonderland. A place where major 7 chords rule and beautiful vocal harmonies dazzle your mind. “Digging The Fault Line” is full of Byrds guitar jangle, sounding like the perfect soundtrack to cruise into golden California sunsets (feat. a great Wes Montgomery-like guitar solo along the way). “Only Time” explodes with 100 % fat-free youthful euphoria - Roger Nichols meets The 5th Dimension. Ba-baba-ba…!
While deeply rooted in 60s songwriting - influenced by Bacharach, Wilson, McCartney, and yes, The Monkees - Cash certainly has his own unique signature style. Just listen to “And Had We Ever…” and “I Think I’m Falling In Love” - with its complex enchanting textures, ignoring conventional song structures.
“Love Is Burning Down Tonight” - a striking duet between Brent and Amanda Kapousouz - is a special highlight of the album. It’s a song about a relationship going wrong - yet it’s so beautifully arranged, that it makes the scenario almost sound like the best lifestyle option ever (ha...). “Good Morning Sunshine” could be the theme song to the best TV series in the world - the harpsichord driven piece is chock-full of amazing twists and turns of melodic beauty. Play it over and over again - and you’ll still discover new beautiful details. “Making shapes on corners...”
“This Sea, These Waves” moves us into Bossa Nova territory. Starting off in a classic Getz/Gilberto mould, the song soon morphs into orchestrated Sergio Mendes & Brazil ’66 elegance (with one verse even sung in Portuguese!). Wow. “More Than Everything” - clocking in at over six minutes - ends this beautiful song cycle about love lost and found. A great final statement about overcoming heartbreak, delivered with the sincerety of a Carpenters record.
Listen to this album - and believe in magic!
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THE REVIEWS ARE IN!!!
MUSIKEXPRESS - 4.5 out of 5
STEREOPLAY - 8 out of 10
UNCUT - 3 out of 5: "...as an exercise in perfecting classicist pop structures, this takes some beating."
ROLLING STONE (Germany) - 3 out of 5: "Welcome to Wonderland!"
--16 on the Editor's Picks for the month
THE WORD: EDITOR'S PLAYLIST: "...a ray of January sunshine in slacks..."
Q - 3 out of 5: "...Cash's harmonious mood music will deliver
in spades."
TV SPIELFILM-(Thumbs Up)
AACHENER ZEITUNG-5 out of 5
STOMP AND STAMMER- "Discovery Of The Month"
STERN-5 out of 5
20th CENTURY GUITAR- "...positively possessed by West Coast legends..."
ABC NYHETER-8 out of 10 /"Brent Cash has made a criminally good debut album."
SOUTHEAST PERFORMER- "Album Of The Month"
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