Check out these great reviews of David Saw's new CD Broken Down Figure:
Saw hangs out with the likes of Carly Simon and her son Ben Taylor, (who’s father is of course James Taylor) and with whom he’s apparently become “inseparable”. The son, not the father.
Not only is Saw a regular guest at Simon’s house in Martha’s Vineyard, he’s on the record label owned by Ben Taylor and Simon covered the first song he wrote aged 16 ‘Quiet Evening’, on her “Into White” album, which Saw doesn’t appear to have yet committed to vinyl. She also covers a Saw/Taylor co write ‘I’ll Just Remember You’ on the same album.
So it’s not surprising that this album is chock a block full of simple songwriter contemporary folk songs. Opening with ‘Don’t Call”, he sets his stall out for all to see.
‘Simple Song’ sums up his attitude to song writing, that permeates this entire album. Songs of the usual topics, including broken hearts, loss and unrequited love, are seemingly delivered with just Saw and an acoustic guitar, though he does bring in additional musicians which sit delightfully and unobtrusively in the background.
He revs things up a bit with “Buy My Record” and its jazzy swing style, which along with 'Someone's Gonna Love You' stand out like a sore thumb. ‘Savannah’s World’ tells the story of a 14 year old girl who asked Saw to marry her via MySpace, but he lets her down gently by stating he “could never fit into her world”. This tale indicates how lines between artists and their fans have become significantly blurred because of social networking technology.
‘All At Sea’ continues to explore how someone special in Saw’s life has gone and how “without love, we’re all alone”. That resonates with me.
These honest and thoughtful songs could be about you or me and that’s the real beauty of them.
Date review added: Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Reviewer: Phil Edwards
I’ll admit that soft and gentle singer/songwriters are not my preference; I like ‘em dark and hard. However I do appreciate artistic integrity and sincerity and I sense that David Saw has these by the truckload.
Saw’s voice is naturally soft and the songs on this album are tailor made for it. Opening song ‘Don’t Call’ is about a lover that walks away and one get’s the impression that Saw is talking quietly to her to say that she is not welcome back after breaking his heart. The instrumental backdrop is simple acoustic at its best and the melody is subtle and good. ‘Simple Song’ is even simpler and an excellent example of how Saw’s voice is allowed to come through with every lyric crystal clear. The subject matter is also appropriate: “I love you like a melody,you’re running through my head. I love you like a simple song, you always sound the best.” ‘Broken Down Figure’ is an album highlight as Saw manages to inject a tad more melody, a tad more instrumentation including some beautiful string moments, and diversity of pace. ‘Buy My Record’ fairly races along in comparison with the previous songs and injects a jazzy blues vibe. It’s going to be the first single off the album and understandably so. ‘Savannah’s World’ is introduced by tumbling guitar notes and is notable for the vocal which sounds like a meandering mountain stream. Delightful.
The second half of the album holds no surprises with the exception of the pacier, pop vibe of ‘Someon’s Gonna Love You’ which I suspect could be single number two. Fans of Ben Taylor and David Kitt wil love this record which I believe is better than both these artists’ latest efforts.
-http://www.shakenstir.co.uk
Sitting somewhere amongst like-minded songwriters Ray Lamontagne, James Taylor and Stephen Duffy and sounding like all 3 vocally (with a very slight hint of David Sylvian on a couple of tracks), David Saw sings a relaxing song with minimal fuss supported by the enviable talents of Eric Bibb, Judie Tzuke and Carly Simon - he has even sung in the company of a certain Mr Clinton some years back and collaborates with Ben Taylor on a regular basis.
So what is this album all about? Put simply, love and life. Most of the set is gentle strumalong delivered with a hint of minor key melancholia, except for 1st single choice "Buy My Record", a sort of country-billy paean to the days of picking up music from a record store. I think the opening charmer "Don't Call" would make a more representative choice because the album is predominantly downbeat and thus its strength. "Come Down" and "Savannah's World" continue the graceful mood of this unchallenging yet cosy collection that won't change the world but may just make you feel a bit better about it. The theme is best displayed on "Simple Song", a delightful 2 minutes and 37 seconds of unassuming couplets devoted to the love of his life.
None of this album falls below its own pre-set standard and if you enjoy the sort of mellow guitar music of a slightly introspective nature then this is for you. Good start.
Paul Pledger
This is David Saw’s second full-length album. The British singer-songwriter has a gentle, acoustic sound, and, with haunting vocals, thoughtful melodies and string accompaniments, he is redolent of Damien Rice. His Iris Records label mate (and indeed, one of its co-founders), Ben Taylor, who has a large following of his own, provides background vocals on some of the tracks.
The opening song, Don’t Call, establishes the tone of the rest of the album. The laid back rhythm lulls you into to the musician’s world, that isn’t as comforting as the alluring guitar and vocals suggest. There’s a fair amount of pain to be found in the lyrics about a love turned sour, and this, along with anxiety about the status quo, becomes one of the album’s themes.Simple Song is as refreshingly straightforward a love song as the title suggests. An extra layer of melancholy suffuses the title track, Broken Down Figure, by use of a cello accompaniment. It’s a striking image, and as evocative in song as it is on the album’s cover artwork.
The next track, Buy My Record, is something of a departure, as it’s much more up-tempo than the earlier tracks, and feels largely more optimistic. The vocals suggest Bob Dylan, and there’s an unmistakeably 60s folk feeling to the song, as well as being the catchiest melody thus far. Savannah’s World offers a return to the darker territory, the subject this time the nature of obsession, but behind the gentle acoustic melody, the song becomes beautiful.
All At Sea, with its finger-plucking acoustic style, is another more upbeat song, where Some Love, the longest track on the album, following immediately afterwards, is a study of the end of relationship and a return to the more familiar gentle, restrained melancholy. We Don’t is a strummed, fresh-sounding track where the string accompaniment provides an evocative atmosphere. It’s the percussion that’s given prevalence inSomeone’s Gonna Love You, and Come Down, the last track on the album, provides a strong conclusion with a song about accepting responsibility.
Running to little over half an hour, Broken Down Figure is a short but satisfying album, as the songs combine to offer a coherent whole, and it is unmistakably the voice of a confident and inspired musician. Whilst his second is a strong album, there’s also the suggestion of different roads Saw could go down as he continues his recording career, and the overall impression is of a promising artist who, whilst having already delivered two beautiful albums, will only get better in future.
Date review added: Saturday 20th June 2009 Reviewed by Gregory Hughes
