Dru Cutler - Hometown (2017)

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Written by Shannon Cowden, posted by blog admin

Tampa, Florida born Dru Cutler’s latest release Hometown finds this talented singer/songwriter and musician turning out an EP release capable of making a deep impact despite its brevity. This two song set aims to chronicle a relatively universal response – looking back at childhood and youthful experience with a slightly rueful eye, but an equally generous spirit investing those memories with sentiment and an obvious recall for the sights, sounds, and sensations of that formative era in the songwriter’s life. Cutler may now live and work out of the Brooklyn, New York area, but much of the writing on this release artfully invokes a less hurried and more innocent time when hanging out with friends in empty parking lots and daydreaming about the future to come. He’s a fine writer, singer, and player whose songs benefit from a first rate production style and an instinct for bringing just the right amount of musical imagination to bear on the release. Hometown is utterly impressive despite its brief length.

The release’s title number stands apart from similar efforts thanks to a number of factors. Chief among them, however, is Cutler’s writing. It is cut to the bone, never wallowing in unnecessary detail, and exhibits a near scientific exactitude for its subject. Cutler’s mind’s eye clearly examines the innocence, the unadorned pleasures, and emotions looking back conjure over a layered arrangement he, nevertheless, wisely gives room to breathe. The composition weaves a light piano touch around assertive percussion and churning acoustic guitars in a highly musical way. The song’s tempo never gets carried away with itself, but Cutler keeps things busy and energetic while never diluting the song’s musical weight. It’s a testament to his considerable talents that he can dispatch what is, in essence, a light rock song and yet deliver a substantive statement in a form not often renowned for such capabilities.

The second song demonstrates his reach. While some might think the pairing is a little too incongruous, many more listeners will find juxtaposition of the title song’s pop rock style with the near-psychedelic musings of “Infinite Moons”. It isn’t all hazy obscurity however – the same penchant for potent melodic content distinguishing the title cut finds a home here as well. Electric guitar plays a more prominent role here than the first song but, much like the title performance, there’s no moment when the six string assumes a dominant or spotlit role in the mix. Cutler is a composer and performer who writes fully orchestrated efforts aimed at putting over a song rather than individual performances. It pairs up nicely with the title song without ever sounding too far removed from his artistic vision and the vocals, already a strong suit of the first song, are particularly stellar here. Two songs releases usually fail amounting to any sort of meaningful musical statement, but Dru Cutler’s Hometown defies expectations.

Grade: A