Ren Daversa – “Cut And Dried”
Ren Daversa – “Cut And Dried” – Single Review
Will ya look at the artists/bands we have in common on this list from Ren Daversa’s social-media eh? Right from the top three alone, I figured we’d be on solid ground for this review – Cold War Kids (First on this list! Ren – I love you!), Tori Amos, and Toad The Wet Sprocket…all three have been staples of my playlists throughout the years. I dig a few other names on there too like The Carpenters and Lifehouse – though I’ll fully admit, I 100% don’t get Father John Misty whatsoever and I’m with The Big Lebowski when it comes to my opinion on The Eagles. All this stuff is trivial of course…just happened to catch my eye – bottom line is, there’s a lot of common interests in music shared between us and a lot of brilliant songwriters that adorn that list she’s created…and I’m willing to bet it all adds up to something here.
When it comes to this particular single, chances are, from the list of bands & artists we’ve just referenced, you’re probably looking at The Carpenters-meets-Toad The Wet Sprocket as your best comparison to what you’ll hear on “Cut And Dried” – though I’d probably go for something perhaps closer to like, say Aimee Mann-meets-Cowboy Junkies from my own perspective. I think you get a lot of sparkling personality and charisma through the way Ren sings, much like Mann…and the dreamy way that she flows through the verse has that Cowboy Junkies-esque chill & melodic smoothness to it. All that being said, she’s some of these things and none of them all when it comes to the final results – you’ll hear more than enough of an identifiable stamp of Ren’s approach to music to remember her. She’s got ‘peppermint vocals’ from what I can read online…after hearing her sing…hmmm…you know, I suppose I have to admit, that’s a pretty accurate assessment& beautiful way to describe her voice. I can’t outdo that personally – so go with that description, that’s perfectly apt. However you might describe them yourself, whatever flavor you end up choosing her sound to be – I’m sure we can all agree that Ren sounds inspired on “Cut And Dried” and has all those good-good hallmarks of a real songwriter. Working with an exotic & folksy sound, she’s assisted by the talents of musicians Ken Wilson & Doug Kelimoff – they’re definitely an effective combination & complement each other extremely well on “Cut And Dried,” which comes off of Ren Daversa’s official debut album, called Saltwater, released Oct. 2018.
Lots to keep you interested & engaged here for sure. Ren’s got undeniably beautiful tone in her voice and expertly crafts a bold melody on “Cut And Dried” that brings her shining harmonies to the surface alongside an impressive lead performance from the beginning to end of this tune. Lyrically, you’ll hear observant & insightful words that drift between personal thoughts and dealing with the twists & turns that life has to offer. Ren supplies the song with clever details and imagery in her words, fueling their meanings with the emotion in her voice and the brilliant structure that reveals the spectacular melody you’ll find at the heart of “Cut And Dried.” When we’re talking about raising the stakes from the verse to chorus in a song, turn to this single as an example of the right way to go about it – you’ll already be enjoying yourself to begin with through the verse/pre-chorus – but believe me when I say, listening to “Cut And Dried” fully develop is a serious treat for the ears. Like…without getting too Inception-esque on ya, essentially what I’m saying is that most of us out there would have already been plenty satisfied if the pre-chorus WAS the chorus…which given the way this single is structured, almost makes it seems like what the case may be at first. The art of the reveal in full-effect, Ren parses the pieces of this puzzle out magnificently throughout the length of “Cut And Dried” – and perhaps what impresses me most about this single here, is just how well-mined it’s been for every inch of melody it potentially had to offer. That’s what confirms the real songwriter & artist in Ren…where most would have been easily satisfied and cut off what could have been – she digs right into every aspect of “Cut And Dried,” and as a result, each moment & part of the song as it progresses, completely builds upon the last – it’d be impossible to get bored with a tune as well written & performed as this is, she’s truly done a wonderful job. Every time she revealed the ultimate melodic payload for the first time as we head into the second minute of “Cut And Dried” as I listened, I had to marvel at just how inspired and passionate she sounds – you can tell just by the way Ren sings just how much music means to her from the overall quality to the tone of her amazing voice. Definitely impressed with what I’ve heard from this San Diego-based singer/songwriter and the crew of ace talent surrounding her – you can hear the professional in Ren – and that all traces back to the authenticity of her connection to the music she makes and the genuine want to entertain the people with memorable melodies and highly expressive, compelling material.
Consider me a fan – I think she’s done an exceptional job from beginning to end with “Cut And Dried.”
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