DOWER - Being Human

DOWER

​Being Human
self-released; 2017

​3.9 out of 5

By Dan Weston

Kevin Dower is an artist who has a familiar story. He played in bands growing up and initially started playing bass. He eventually picked up an acoustic and started writing songs. Yeasr later he released his solo album entitled Being Human. 

​Dower isn't doing anything out of the ordinary on this album but it works for two main reasons - the delivery and the production. I thought the production was great and it also didn't hurt that Dower has a voice that was instantly enjoyable. He got a little melancholy in his tone but it's just aesthetically pleasing for other reasons as well. That being said I thought some songs really took advantage of his voice. 

A clear highlight was “Misery Loves Company” where his vocals sounded exceptional. The song is made up of a couple of basic chords and I thought the additional instrumentation like banjo was a good call. The song really gets going when the drums and banjo enter into the picture. 

The opener “Bear Song” was another song that worked on multiple levels. The percussion was well implemented here picking its moments. The more upbeat “The Color Green” was enjoyable but didn't quite get to the same heights as the first two tracks for me. 

After “Mirage” it was clear to me that I thought he delivered the songs with more emotional weight in a way that I found more satisfactory. “Black Hearted Woman” has a loose, jazzy feel to it while the title track is a chill by the bonfire late night song.

​As the album progressed I felt the songwriting was consistent and it was hard to chose my favorites amongst exceptional tracks like “Open The Door” and “Wash Away.”

Dower isn't reinventing the wheel by a long shot but the album hits it out of the park. Great songwriting paired with talented players is a winning combo here.

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