TonyDoug's CD Reviews: Denuzio, Jason Dove

by tonydoug wright

Denuzio, Continuous Vaudeville (Spiderfight, 2005)

THE BAND:Jason Jones, Hans Buenning and Eliot Zizic

THE HISTORY: DeNunzio is a Colorado based trio; Continuous Vaudeville is their third formal release.

THE REVIEW:It's the Halloween season so that means a Charlie Brown Halloween special will be aired on one of the major networks. Linus, the blanket-loving little brother of Lucy and resident philosopher, spends his Halloween's in the pumpkin patch awaiting the arrival of the Great Pumpkin. And we know that although Linus waits patiently the Great Pumpkin never appears.

Continuous Vaudeville is one of those albums where the listener waits for the moment when DeNunzio cranks out a musical gem but sadly (just like the Great Pumpkin) that moment never arrives. DeNunzio is not a terrible band but they are one of those acts missing some kind of musical ingredient that will take them from bland to wham-bam-thank-you-ma'am. Continuous Vaudeville has its moments with 'Get In Line' and 'The Getaway' but DeNunzio's weaker material outweighs the good.

THE BOTTOM LINE: It's oh so close to being a decent album.

WEBSITE:www.denuzio.net

Jason Dove, Pronto (Carbon and Monoxide, 2005)

THE BAND:Jason Dove, Michael Griffeth and Brett Jones

THE HISTORY: A veteran of Atlanta's indie rock scene, Jason Dove has performed with Plexorjet and Slot Racer. In 2003 Dove relocated to Baltimore and became a solo artist.Pronto is his debut release as a solo artist.

THE REVIEW:Have you ever asked a kid what they wanted to be when they grow up? The answer goes something like this "I want to be a fire fighter or a pilot or an ice cream man." Kids have plenty of career choices and as time goes by they get older and settle into their one profession of choice.

Jason Dove's Pronto is the equivalent of asking a youngster what they want to be when they grow up because this album says "I want to be a 50s rock and roller or a 70s stadium rocker or a 90s alternative rocker or maybe an instrumentalist." The first three songs on Pronto are proof enough to show that Dove is does not have a clear direction or sound for this album creating an awkward transition from song to song. The first track is an acoustic based instrumental with a bit of electronica noise titled 'Landing A Chopper' that is followed by the somewhat lo-fi 'Make It With You' which is followed by the groovy 70s classic rocker 'Mexico'. From there Dove continues with his potpourri of tunes.

Dove is also one of those artists that you can't tell if they are being serious or somewhat comical. One of his songs is called 'Girl, My Love Is Like Keno' and the title alone suggests that this is not a song to take seriously because Dove is comparing his love to a game that is played by chain-smoking grannies in bowling alley bars. Another example is his song 'Saddest Song In The World, Ever', a sappy acoustic ballad, that sounds like a collaboration between David Brent from The Office and David Gates from Bread.

THE BOTTOM LINE: Dove is constantly shifting musical gears on Pronto, so much so that it becomes an unsatisfying sampler rather than a complete meal.

WEBSITE: www.jasondove.com