Dave Hause – Drive It Like It’s Stolen
Philly’s Dave Hause’s 6th solo release takes a stab at the harsh realities of life by glancing blows at hard issues that dabble with some of the joys of life. He has intense songs on his platter the lyrics are exceptional. Far above average.
Heartfelt in spots (“Lashing Out”) his creativeness through his storytelling sparkles with colorful words & phrases. He calls this “post-apocalyptic Americana,” which leads me to believe he has some compelling material.
I don’t agree with everything Dave outlines, but he makes his point with clarity & avoids cliches & preachiness. He has a perspective & it all sounds good. Written by Dave & musician brother Tim Hause (vocals/guitar). The 10 tracks on Drive It Like It’s Stolen (Drops April 28–Blood Harmony Records) was recorded in Nashville & produced by Will Hoge.
The dangers tempted here fall into an area of pretentiousness. But Dave sidesteps that gully cleverly & does sound like an artist concerned about real life & not just pontificating. He wonders about what’s going on & knows he lives in a volatile world that lately tempts with deviancy & lunacy. But maybe it always has. It’s just embellished by social media & old-fashioned ignorance. The songs are innovative.
The imaginative Hause (vocals/guitar) takes a mental road trip with his compositions & invites listeners along for the Babylonian ride. Will they emerge from the ether renewed or trapped in a terminal dreamland? It may be melancholy, gloomy, monochrome imaged in a dark noir manner — but hey, Brecht-Weill & Tom Waits made a career of composing such music. It’s buoyed by the attempts made by Tom Wilson (“Shine” & “Burned Out Car”) & former Hawkwind keyboardist Steve Swindells’ entire LP (“Fresh Blood”).
Hause gets bitter about the world created & left to our children — but he needs to remember it may be his child that may grow up & be the one that sets everything right in this world. Einstein’s mother didn’t know Albert would grow up to develop the theory of relativity. Elvis’ mother didn’t plan on giving birth to a legendary performer. For every Hitler there’s a Jesus, an Allah & Danny Thomas (founder of St. Jude’s Research Hospital for Children). Children are not grist for the mill. They are the answer. Grist for the next album?
Highlights – “Cheap Seats,” “Pedal Down,” “Damn Personal,” “Low,” “Chainsaweyes,” “Drive It Like It’s Stolen,” “Lashing Out” & “Tarnish.”
Musicians – Will Home (bass/drums/guitar/percussion/vocals), Mark Masefield (keys), Kris Donegan (guitar), Jack Lawrence & Christopher Griffiths (bass), Jay Tooke & Kevin Conroy (drums), Larissa Maestro, Eleonore Denig & Jenn Fantaccione (strings), Josh Scalf (trombone), David Axelrod (guitar/percussion) & Alex Fang (banjo).
A lyric insert is enclosed. Color image courtesy of Dave Hause. CD @ Bandcamp + https://www.davehause.com/ & https://dave-hause.myshopify.com/collections/drive-it-like-its-stolen
Enjoy our interview of Dave here: Interview: Dave Hause Chases the Song