The Disparrows – Wasting Time | Album Review

The Disparrows – Wasting Time

Self-release

www.thedisparrows.com

10 tracks / 39:46

The Disparrows are a band that is based out Hollywood, California, and their sound is a big and brash as their complicated hometown. This groups gets around, and after completing their recent tour of India, they hit a Los Angeles studio and recorded their third album, Wasting Time, which is a slick collection of thoughtful hard rock with a blues base and a social conscience.

The group has been together since 2009, and their frontman is singer and guitarist Daniel Weber, who also happens to be married to Sunny Leone, the international film star. Joining him in the studio for this project were the other two founding members, Stephen Tecci on bass and Grant Loosvelt (yes, that is spelled correctly) on keys, as well as the band’s two new members, Jaydon Bean on drums and Julian Tamarin on the rhythm guitar.

The producer for this album was Anthony Focx (also spelled correctly) who has worked with countless bands, including a few that you might have heard of, such as Aerosmith and Foreigner. Focx mixed and mastered this project at his studio in Nashville, and the results are dramatic, with many of the songs sounding like they are ready to be included on a movie or television soundtrack. The ten original tracks on Wasting Time have a diverse sound, but the overall feel is centered on a harder blues-rock theme, and the band is certainly not afraid of commenting on the complexity of relationships or the injustice and unease that they see in this world.

The opener, “World Keeps Burning,” is a wake up call to mankind that it is time to pay attention to the direction that society is heading. This song has an edgy sound with distorted vocals, layers of guitars, electric piano and organ, and hard-hitting drums. The arrangement is tight and the mix is perfectly put together, which is a testament to the engineering that went into this project. The next track has a marked change in feel, as “Believe in Me” starts out with a sweet piano introduction from Loosvelt, and the vocal harmonies of the chorus bring home the lyrics of one who is trying to convince his soul mate to put her faith in him. This is a cool counterpart to other love songs like “High on You,” a more laid-back tune which highlights Weber’s powerful vocals, and “Dying for You,” a 1980s-style power ballad.

One of the more powerful tunes on Wasting Time is “Set Me Free,” which builds from a simple piano intro into a gloriously full-on gospel anthem courtesy of the backing vocals of Annie Bosko, Camille Lourde Wyatt, Maoco Floran Elkins, and Crystal Drummer. The lyrics about the ongoing Syrian tragedy are as serious as things can get, but the overall message is one of hope, making this the standout track on this release.

The band changes gears frequently during this set, as the listener will hear during “Change,” which approaches pop territory with its catchy hook and easygoing melody. There is also “Sorry,” with its Southern flavor, and the closer, “We Are the Young,” a slick rock tune that provides a last hopeful message that maybe mankind does have a chance after all. There is a little bit of something here for everybody, if you listen hard enough.

The Disparrows did a fine job with Wasting Time, and it is heartening that there are newer bands out there that are writing their own music and pushing the limits of the blues-rock genre. There are no upcoming shows listed on the band’s website, but the group finished a sold-out world tour prior to entering the studio for this album, so maybe they are taking a breather for a while. So, for now you should head over to their website where you will find some samples from the disc, and you can see for yourself what the fuss is all about.

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