Driftwood
‘Tree of Shade’
Self-released
The Binghamton band
Driftwood is back with “A Tree of Shade,” another collection of warm and earthy
songs that feel rooted in indie Americana but bloom into full-blown,
radio-ready pop. Driftwood strikes a balance between dirt-road weariness and
wide-eyed optimism; the lyrics are bittersweet and earnest, but the music is
consistently smile-inducing.
Two songs
practically beg for a singalong: “Lay Like You Do,” a
brilliant piece of country-folk ear candy, and the closing cut “Hello,” with
its particularly strong performance from Dan Forsyth on lead vocals. The
insightful “Conquering Man” is a pop-country toe-tapper about navigating gender
politics from a female perspective, featuring the soul-stirring vocal flair of
Claire Byrne. There’s a welcome change of pace toward the album’s end, when the
glossy studio sheen starts to come off on the folksier, more intimate title
track and “Santa Fe.”
This article appears in Apr 10-16, 2019.
