Search - Willy Porter :: Dog Eared Dream

Willy's 1st major label effort

P. Smith | Chicago, IL | 09/28/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

""Dog Eared Dream" is Willy Porter's 2nd album, the follow-up to his first record, "The Trees Have Soul." I believe it was his first album released by a major record label, however. It is a mixed bag of brilliant songs and forgettable duds.



This CD has quite a different feel from his first album. The all-out guitar virtuosity has been toned down significantly, only present in parts of a few songs. It is more produced and of a much higher recording quality, and it seems that Willy is turning more into a pop singer/songwriter than a fingerstylist with vocals, a shift that is sure to please some while irking others.



The first song on the CD, "Angry Words," is easily the best, and is perhaps the defining song of Willy's career. If that song had been what I like to call "Vertical Horizoned" (if you listen to the evolution of Vertical Horizon from their acoustic-based "Running On Ice" to their later albums, you'll understand what I mean), it would have easily been on the radio. Still, in its current state, it's a great song for the background of a party or while driving. It's also pretty cool that he uses two capos to play that song, but I digress. The next two songs, "Rita" and "Jesus on the Grille" show off Willy's country side. The former is a stronger song, driven by a sing-along-able chorus. The latter might be more fun live; it doesn't seem to be a very good studio track. "Boab Tree" is pleasant enough if played in the background, but another standout track, "Watercolor," follows it and is one of Willy's best (certainly his best love song). "Cool Water," which appeared on his first album, comes next. It is a bit more upbeat (has real drums) and sounds like it could have been pulled off of a Dave Matthews Band album, but it still sounds a bit empty in spots and could have used more production assistance (not likely, since that would mean it would have to make a third appearance on a subsequent album). The next song is definitely the album's weakest: "Be Here Now." Willy's spoken word vocals don't come across as musical. He also tried spoken word on the previous album with the song "Lines of Age," but that song was saved by a soaring chorus that this song lacks. The four tracks that round out the CD are nice but forgettable, though "Flying" would satisfy the guitar jocks looking for some of the fingerstyle playing of the first album.



Overall, "Dog Eared Dream" is a decent album with a few great tracks and a few others that could have used more work. I've given it 4 stars because most of the tracks are at least listenable ("Be Here Now" being the exception), there are a few outstanding songs, and Willy took some chances and tried to evolve from his first album. Fans of light acoustic rock and adult contemporary would enjoy this CD.

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