Donaven – meet the beast (a love letter)
Donaven – meet the beast (a love letter) – EP Review
Unique stuff! As Donaven’s new record started up with its lower-case lineup of songs and “truth be told” served as the gateway in to get our first impression of the Denver-based artist’s tunes, I gotta say, I truly enjoyed how different this beginning felt compared to so many others I’ve heard during my time as a music journalist. Ultimately, this is like…what – a stunning example of maximized minimalism? The ingredients to “truth be told” are few, but you’ll find this opener to be quite remarkable, almost despite that fact. Everything sounds like it’s absolutely enough to keep you entertained and engaged, but even that was kind of amazing when it comes right down to it…I mean, “truth be told” is basically Donaven and a piano and that’s it. Not that combinations of vocals and piano haven’t been enough to keep me listening in the past – but the authenticity in the artistically slick design, the noticeably R&B inclinations of the man behind the music, and the seriously clever production techniques really made this first cut hit different for all the right reasons. You can easily hear how much care has gone into creating this song, and through the brilliant way the vocals are layered together in “truth be told,” you kinda couldn’t help but to pay attention, even the odd event that you were trying to resist. Intriguing and interesting – I’ve always been a fan of artists & bands that know how to go about getting us to listen, and the innovative, daring design of a song like “truth be told” is definitely a method that should have us all lending an ear.
While I’d say there’s no question that there’s inherent value in an interesting beginning & a great voice, I’d also be the first to tell you that beyond that, we’re still gonna need some tangible hooks in the mix as well. The main hook in “truth be told” is really the stylistic aspect of the sound itself, which may prove to be enough on its own, at least in the context of a first impression. When the title track “meet the beast” came on, I felt like it brought two thoughts to my mind right away. On the positive side of the scenario, I was immediately relieved to find the kind of melodic hooks that the average everyday listener will be able to hang with…obviously, that’s a good thing. On the flipside of the coin, in terms of the song’s DNA, we’re basically still in the same gear using the same recipe and approach that Donaven took to his opening track…and while you might be able to get away with certain similarities and whatnot for a short amount of time in the art of making music, I started thinking about how crucial it was going to be to continue to diversify and expand this sound further. Like, I don’t mind the double-layered vocal idea, using the low-down sound of a shadow to the brighter sound of Donaven’s natural voice – it’s excellent contrast between the dark and light, which is pretty much a tried, tested and true method that listeners respond to. With it being used in both of the first two songs you hear, my concern was that it was going to be a constant feature…and of course, that’s always a tougher sell when that’s the case. No one wants to be labeled as one-note, even if there are two in the mix, you feel me? So…yeah…I mean, from my perspective, I like how Donaven continued to expand on this particular, highly specific sound – but I would say I was far from convinced that it would be the method you’d want to apply every single time. All that being said, “meet the beast” has a remarkable melody at the core of it all, and a powerfully vulnerable performance that has a ton of emotion to it, which is exactly what the lyrics really needed for it to have. An excellent match between the atmosphere and the concept – Donaven’s music is truly art.
Thankfully, my fears pretty much subsided altogether when “paradoxical” came on, which revealed a bit more to the music as the EP continued to evolve. I’ll say this though – I’m not quite certain I’ve heard any one particular hook in a song yet that is stronger than the hook of hearing how Donaven chooses to sing. There’s nothing wrong with that of course…it might be a bit more of an uphill battle in some respects I suppose, but it’s still workable. It’s a roundabout way of saying that the artist is currently more memorable than the material itself is…like, you’re going to remember Donaven’s name more than you’re likely to be able to pick out which specific song you like most – make sense? There’s a massive amount of identity in his sound overall…and ultimately, that’s an amazing piece of the puzzle to start forming the complete picture. The rest of the pieces will all come into play and sharpen the vision later on down the road, but at the outset of a career in music, it’s crucial to at least know what you can build on. Lyrically, whether it’s “paradoxical,” or any other song on this record to be honest, Donaven shows that he’s got a lot to say…there’s substance to his words, emotionally-driven content, and stylistic choices being made in how he sounds to emphasize what he’s singing about – all that stuff works really well. While I don’t think I’d go as far as to say that “paradoxical” is loaded with the kind of hooks that listeners are typically used to finding in the music they’ve got on their playlists, the ones that it contains are noticeable, well executed, and enticing to listen to for sure. Performance-wise, Donavan is super strong, and hearing him fluctuate between his natural singing voice & falsetto highlights real technique.
Each song continues to add more to the mix in the music, and I think that’s a great thing – now it’s time to start taking something away. Does Donaven need the lower-sounding backup layer to his vocals in order to make an impression on us? No. Is it a kind of crutch or potentially holding him back from the greatness he could be showing us? Potentially, yep. I mean, I’ll be as real with you as I always am with everyone else – I don’t think it’s a necessary thing to have on every song. I think that having it show up in a few places is beneficial, but I’ve yet to hear why it’s a crucial addition to any cut beyond the very first one you hear on meet the beast (a love letter). Straight up, for as long as I’ve been listening to this record by the time I wrote up this review for ya in advance of its official release today, what’s kept me fully engaged is what’s happening in the LEAD vocals – aka, the closest we get to Donaven’s unfiltered, natural, vocals. Because make no mistake, this dude can seriously sing…and he don’t need no gimmicks, he don’t need no crutch…honestly, he don’t even need any effects or help in the production, though I understand the attraction to’em and why you’d want to use them within the Pop/R&B realm of the music scene. I don’t love the production on the music in “edge” as much as the rest…from this side of the speakers here, there’s a bit of an imbalance that pokes through at some of the song’s most intense moments…but again, this is the kind of stuff that can easily be adjusted going forward…I ain’t worried about stuff like that. The fundamentals are all intact, the ideas are unique – this is the kind of stuff that DOES matter. Donaven’s got sincere perspective and writes from the heart – that matters to me too. I love the opening line in this song – “If I’m the cause, can I be the cure?” Talk about relatable! I’ve found myself wondering that very same thing at points in my own life before, but I’ve yet to see that feeling in print or hear it so accurately put until now. Personally, I like the chorus here. I don’t know if I’m all that sure the complexity of its design isn’t going to be an obstacle for listeners, or that Donaven isn’t actually overcomplicating things more than he needs to, but it works for me. I enjoy uniqueness and things that I don’t feel like I’ve heard before, but I’m not everyone. Accessibility can largely hinge on having some degree of familiarity, and when you choose to go against the grain, it can take additional convincing to get the masses fully onboard…that’s just kinda the objective reality behind artistically ambitious music. Doesn’t mean you should shy away from doing things differently…embrace it, but be aware of the risks.
I mean…I look at it like this – Donaven is a writer primarily first and foremost. He’s creating songs to say the things he wants to say, and it just happens that music is the best vehicle to support that. Thankfully, the guy can sing extraordinarily well too, which makes the combination of these talents make even more sense. From my perspective, he’s got an enormous amount of space to continue to evolve in his level of accessibility if he’s looking to end up on playlists all around the globe, but he’s got all the right pieces to succeed if that’s what he really wants to do. You’ll find references to religion throughout many of these songs on meet the beast (a love letter), and you can tell that’s been a struggle for him at times based on the lyrics he’s penned to this record. I’ve got no dog in that fight…religion is never something I’ve had to battle, I was happy to leave that far behind as I grew from a kid into an adult and got to make my own choices. Faith, in my opinion, is a whole different conversation. I’m lucky enough to not struggle with that either – I’ve got all kinds of faith, and none of that has anything to do with God or religion or church or whatever. I believe in music, and that’s about it. I liked listening to the lyrical themes he’s threaded into “haunting sanctuary” much more than the sound of the song itself…I wasn’t a huge fan of the way the production on this track worked out. I love the clarity in the music, but I’ve been railing against the whole idea of added distortion into vocals/blown-out sound for the couple weeks straight here, and I gotta remain consistent on that. Not only does it generally confuse the average everyday listeners that can’t tell the difference between a stylistic choice and sound that’s jumping across the dreaded red lines on the studio boards, but I just don’t think that approach has a real place in Pop music overall. It’s a genre and style that’s built on shiny vibes and crystal clarity, and that’s precisely what its listeners want.
“for what it’s worth” would be up there with my favorites from this record. All in all, I very much appreciate the degree of honesty that Donaven writes with. For better or for worse, he’s been unafraid to tell you like it really is & call things like he sees them – and I think that’s truly important. Being real isn’t about being perfect, you know what I mean? As I’ve always said, the more YOU put into YOUR music, the more WE are likely to respond to it as listeners. “for what it’s worth,” this is what I’d tell the guy about the whole accessibility thing & whatnot – focus on creating a bit more separation than we currently hear in the material. Right now, Donaven has one main way of approaching how to sing, and while there’s zero doubt about how capable he is in that particular gear, in terms of song structure and composition and all that stuff, switching things up stylistically more than he has as he shifts from verses to chorus would go an insanely long way. As it stands, we’re often hearing little to no difference in the way that he’ll sing the two main components of his songs…and personally speaking, I think he’s got so much more to show us than he has so far. It’s about more than merely adding another layer to his vocals or finding the right effect – it’s about finding different cadence, different ways to sing something, and creating that separation a song needs to have the dynamics contribute in a memorable way. I know that might seem like quite a bit of stuff that could be further refined, but truthfully, he’s got the majority of the fundamentals down solid…really, it’s just about tweaking things from here, and really expanding on his potential to find those moments in music that will send us running back for another spin. Right now, like I mentioned earlier on, you’re more bound to remember Donaven’s name than the title of any singular tune…that’s the effect of identity as an artist, which is great, but the strength and versatility of the material matters too in the long run. “for what it’s worth” is closer to that diversity in his sound that I’d be looking for as a fan, even if I still think that there’s more than can be done. Take it with a grain of salt – every regular reader here knows I’m musically greedy & want everything under the sun all at once. I genuinely appreciate the potency of the emotion that he sings “for what it’s worth” with so sincerely.
I’m interested, don’t get me wrong. Just because I have opinions on things and try to recommend some different ways of doing stuff doesn’t mean I don’t like a lot of what I hear – I do. It’s always been my job to push artists to become the best versions of themselves, and I think that Donaven was already well on his way in that regard, long before I started listening. In fact, the final song on this record, “love you right” speaks on a lot about that very thing. A lot of this whole record deals with finding ways to become comfortable with the person you are in the skin that you’re in…and I really like that Donaven has made the choice to deal with so much of that out loud in the wide open like he has. That alone is a huge sign of growth, and he should honestly be super proud of that. Every step this dude takes from the release of this record on forward is likely to be a massive leap in his own artistic evolution, because he’s really putting himself out there. The rewards of approaching the creation of art and music in such a fearless way are without limits…the benefits to the soul, to the material, to the listening audience, are immeasurable and equally vital to the longevity of a career. The people tuning into Donaven’s music are going to get a whole lot out of his songs…whether it’s the connection he makes at his most vulnerable, or the strengths he passes on at his most empowered, there’s something special and very real about the way he writes his music that I’m certain listeners will form an unbreakable bond with. That’s the real flipside of the uniqueness coin y’all…it might take more time for people to catch onto what you’re doing, yes – but with perseverance and belief in your artistic vision, you’ll find the loyalty of a fan-base will become rock solid as time goes on. Keep up the great work Donaven…you’re truly onto something here. We might not fully know what it is yet, but the more he continues to create, experiment with his sound, and use the advantages that his writing and vocals provide, the further he’ll go with his music overall.
Find out more about Donaven from the official pages below!
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/donavenmusic
Bandcamp: https://donaven.bandcamp.com
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@donavenmusic
Multi-link: https://links.donavenmusic.com/now
Main Site: https://donavenmusic.com
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