The songs are really flowing from Daniel Meade’s creative
reservoir at the moment as an impromptu collection of solo material hits the
market. Despite the ten tracks that form SHOOTING STARS AND TINY TEARS having
their origin in a fun-based hastily composed personal project, the decision to
make them available in the recorded format is set to prove a smart move as
Daniel continues to establish himself on the roots and wider music scene. This suggestion
of spreading his talents further comes from a recent stint playing substantial
venues as part of Ocean Colour Scene’s touring band. All good experience, and
no doubt a useful source for putting coffers into the bank to fund the solo
stuff.
SHOOTING STARS AND TINY TEARS sees Daniel operating apart
from his Flying Mules colleagues, although we have been assured that more music
in the band format is likely to surface during the year, another indicator to
Daniel’s current rich vein of productivity. This release is on the back of last
year’s acclaimed album LET ME OFF AT THE BOTTOM which continued to raise Daniel’s
profile, one most given a lift by his touring work with Sturgill Simpson. This
album was put out in association with At The Helm Records, but that proved a
one-off venture as self-release now
seems the preferred route to market as indicated by the new one credited to
Daniel’s own label From The Top Records.
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| Daniel at Southern Fried in 2015 |
By undertaking the writing, playing and singing on all
tracks, the album resonates with an organic feel and a retro wrapping that will
possibly be with Daniel during his entire career. For those previously acquainted
with his music, the sound floats around the old time spectrum calling at the
popular points of traditional country, honky tonk and straight up rock ‘n’ roll
pop. The music is sufficiently simple in its constitution, but not to the
detriment of the effectivity which has long marked Daniel’s music as easy
listening two to three minute hooks.
Making an album stick around is always the challenge for an
artist especially when it’s not designed to be a tastemaker. However the title
track ‘Shooting Stars and Tiny Tears’
has such a great feel to it, one suspects it has the capability to thrive on
playlists as the annual deluge of good music gathers pace. Although technically
in the partial shadow of this fabulous opening track, the other nine songs are
not too far behind with ‘Your Voice at
Night’. ‘I Got Something’ and ‘Throwing Pebbles (Round My Head)’ leading
the way. Holistically there is not a track empty of feel good merit and the
effortless vibes you succumb to are a credit to Daniel Meade the songwriter.
The signs are that 2017 will be yet another busy year for
Daniel Meade and hopefully he can keep venturing down the M74 from his Scottish
base to entertain us folks south of the border. SHOOTING STARS AND TINY TEARS
will add a few more good tunes to his song arsenal and as an interim album this
record stands up to serious scrutiny before emerging as an highly enjoyable
release.
www.danielmeademusic.com