Bryan Schumann & The Sunshapes – Heart & Horizon
This is good early morning music. Bryan Schumann starts his set with whispery, sincere singing about not wanting to go to work today. “Open Road” has a pleasant Kenny Rankin feel with no showboating. Vocal range steps aside to focus instead on the delicacy of the song, the tale being told, & the narrative — like the orange juice that accompanies the coffee & muffin. It’s sweet, but it’s not sugary.
There are 9 self-produced narratives on the sophomore LP Heart & Horizon (Dropped Oct 24/Boreal Bard/34:04), a music project led by Mr. Schumann & recorded in St. Paul, MN. The genres touched upon are the standard schtick – pop, folk, indie, rock, some electronic & well-placed classical touches. The songs skate along into dance steps, moody ballads & leave melodic ripples. What makes it interesting is the past musical influences that are threaded through several numbers.
The musicians featured on these pieces are from a variety of countries: the US, Argentina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Costa Rica, Croatia, Malaysia, Portugal, Spain & the UK – that inject their unique style, influence & cultural flavor.
There are light touches with horns that accentuate nicely. Arrangements aren’t bombastic but formal. Good backup singing reinforces each song’s vitality & Bryan keeps the electronics to a minimum. The cocktail-lounge jazz of “By Your Side” is formidable. Bryan smartly keeps his music from sliding into a soft-rock numbness. No Michael Franks, Dan Hill, or Stephen Bishop, mediocrity. He anchors the music more in an old-school pop-balladry of Jonathan Edwards (“Sunshine”) or Dan Fogelberg.
What makes Bryan mosaic-like is his shifting styles. “Do Ya Wanna” is energetic, with a Spanish horn flavor, & muscular backup singers. Good mainstream tune, catchy. A delightful little song. The album has its low-octane moments, but even those get you to where you need to be as you listen. Each piece has charm. Bryan skillfully shapes each song to appeal to a specific ear & the varied musicians contribute with their own identity. Bryan possesses a warm troubadour voice, smooth as brandy. His best pieces surround him with the cello & trumpet notes that seem to accompany his voice in a classy way. This is not a voice for electric guitars & fancy drum patterns. “Lost Light” is full orchestra-blown & excellent.
Highlights – “Open Road,” “By Your Side,” “Do Ya Wanna,” “Up To Down,” “Ruby,” & “Lost Light.”
Musicians – Bryan Schumann, Kate DeVoe, Vela Farquharson, with Dorothy Takev, Nisa Addina, Emanuel Pavon, Felipe Ribeiro, Andre Vasconcellos, Joao Paulo Drumond, Sergio da Silva, Fernando Moreno, Horacio Paris, & Chris Barber.
B&W image courtesy of Bryan’s Facebook site. CD @ Apple + https://thesunshapes.com/heart-and-horizon-album-lyrics-and-credits & https://bryanschumann.com/
