David Luning – Lessons
It’s nice to hear a commanding baritone voice again with a Steve Earle baked in spirit with polish. There’s a consistent clarity but the tone is somewhat rigid in the opening tunes. They lack a certain amount of friendliness, at least at the onset. David sings with an articulate narrative but with a generous dose of John Hiatt nuance — more dry red wine than Chablis.
A more sincere tune with tidy fingerpicking comes with “Ain’t Easy To Love Me,” where Luning seems to have found his flair. There’s far more intonation, phrasing & vitality. Probably because with this song he’s singing to someone. There are 10 accessible original song cycles to David Luning’s 3rd album Lessons (Drops Sept. 6/Redwood Shack/35:34). Produced & engineered by Damien Lewis (drums/percussion) & recorded at Indigo, Petaluma, CA.
The gracefulness of David’s vocal continues with “Goodnight” which is wonderfully paced & coasts along more easily. It has tone, taste & class to spare. A pleasantly dexterous guitar cruises through David’s lyrics, slick & strong. This is followed by Waylon Jenning’s country-fueled type song “Lessons,” — vigorous & determined. A gripping brief harmonica solo haunts the tune & was a nice addition. Sets the mood differently from the other songs. A well-performed number.
The majority aren’t embellished with electronics, cliches, or silliness. Luning knows how to keep to the task with seriousness that remains entertaining. “The Moon Looks Cool Tonight,” is a good example of a lovely, restrained arrangement with sophistication through the music & vocals. A light Gershwin-type romantic structure drifts through the melody, but Luning’s country-inspired instincts keep that at a distance.
David Luning is a good songwriter. He utilizes his imagination on many of his melodically potent songs & though he could be a little more commercially inclined to catch more ears maybe the commercial charts should come around to David’s well squeezed oranges instead of relying on their juiceless country pop confections.
There are just so many topics an artist can sing about. But David succeeds in making his songs sound interesting. Instrumentally many are played loose & confidently.
Highlights – “Ain’t Easy To Love Me,” “Goodnight,” “Lessons,” “The Moon Looks Cool Tonight” & “You Like The Rain.”
Musicians – David (vocals/acoustic & electric guitar/piano/synth/percussion), Dave Sampson (electric & acoustic guitars/Baritone & slide guitars), Linden Reed (drums/percussion/harmony), Ben Dubin (upright & electric bass/harmonica/harmony), Doug Stringer (Taos drums/percussion), Alex Leach (electric & acoustic guitars), Dave Zirbel (pedal & slide guitars), Rebecca Roudman (cello), Tammie Dyer (violin), Jared Pabilona (double bass) & Jamie Coffis (Wurlitzer).
Color image courtesy of David’s Facebook. CD @ iTunes + https://www.davidluning.com/
Enjoy our previous coverage here: Video Premiere: David Luning “Lessons”
