The Bottom Line
Pros
- "Children of the Sun"
- "Shine Your Light"
- "Nightingale"
- "Soul Parade"
Cons
- None.
Description
- Beautiful lyrics and haunting melodies.
- Bringing to mind the work of Tom Waits, Randy Newman, and a young Bob Dylan.
- Lyrics full of drastic imagery and the natural flow of easy poetry.
Guide Review - Jesse DeNatale - Soul Parade
The opening song on Soul Parade, "Children of the Sun" sounds like it could be a tribute to the late, great Randy Newman. In a voice as deep and scratchy as the Blues, DeNatale comments on life in San Francisco, relationships, and just about everything else.As you move further through the record, however, DeNatale's songs start to take on different faces. One moment he's growling like Tom Waits, and the next, he's storytelling like his hero Ramblin' Jack.
The highlight of the record is "Shine Your Light" &ndash a song about the spirit and pride that creeps up every now and then. It's a song you might want to sing out on the street when something wonderful has happened, and you can just cock your head back and call out the refrain, "la la la la la."
Other great moments come from the title track and the prettily composed "Nightingale."
It's easy to compare DeNatale to any number of great songwriters that came before him, but the truth is he is his own songwriter, with his own sense of poignancy in melodies and the natural flow of lyrics. If you haven't heard of DeNatale yet, this would be a great place to start.
