The first track of Dwayne Shivers’ self-titled album oozes the heart of blues, from the acoustic guitar’s hammer-ons and slides to the croak of the vocals. It then moves into a country-folk feel with cameos from a steel guitar and simple acoustic chords.
The duo, Micah Dalton and Rick Lollar, teamed up in 2014 to create this EP, which was somewhat of a recalibration for Dalton.
“I wasn’t having a good time with the solo songwriter thing as much anymore,” Dalton said on Dwayne Shivers’ website. “I got so lost in the shadows of what I didn’t want to do, that it felt like I need to re-name the act in order to be myself. Micah Dalton, as an artist, meant something that I didn’t want to perpetuate anymore.
“The whole thing is like a Trojan horse to get back into myself.”
I enjoy listening to this EP, but it falls short of Dalton’s music under his real name. Like his album Blue Frontier – it’s fun and presents listen-stop-rewind-play traits that Dwayne Shivers lacks. His second act is solid, but his better work is behind him, for now.
Dwayne Shivers is in my Bandcamp Wishlist, but – because I can’t help but compare it to his previous work – it’s just alright. I’m not nullifying the work these guys put in, and I’m for sure not dismissing their talent. This is just, as they say, IMHO.
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My final thought…
0 – One of my current favorites
o – Worth a listen
♦ – It was okay
o – Not recommended, but go ahead, it’s a free country
o – Stay away
