From the Dirt

Album Review

David Morreale kicks off From the Dirt with the easy flowing, folk-tinged "Angel of the Road." The folk here, however, trades in the coffee house vibe for full-band, unplugged arrangements with the occasional electric element, and trades in traditional folk songs for mostly self-penned ones. Acoustic and piano mingle easily together on "Let It Be Me," while tasteful keyboards adorn the backdrop of "Falling." The title track features an interesting combination of spoken verses and sung choruses, though the singer/songwriter lyrics stretch the central metaphor — humans as naked angels that eventually grow wings to lift them out of the dirt — to the breaking point here. Another weakness is that Morreale extends most of his songs between four and five minutes, which works well enough when the songs have strong hooks like "Angel of the Road," but not so well on less distinct melodies like "Whitewall Tires." This over-extension is abetted somewhat by slight shifts in arrangements that help individual songs stick out ("Missing Baltimore") and prevent the album from sounding too samey. While the album title doesn't really suggest it, From the Dirt returns over and over to the theme of the open road, from "Angel of the Road" to "Whitewall Tires" to "(The Beginning Of) The Road Years." Although From the Dirt has a number of shortcomings, Morreale's observations, varied arrangements, and likable performances make the album a solid outing. ~ Ronnie D. Lankford, Jr., All Music Guide