Deryl Dodd
Stronger Proof
(Dualtone)
First Appeared in The Music Box, November 2004, Volume 11, #11
Written by John Metzger
With three studio efforts and a live album under his belt, Deryl Dodd already
has shown the world what he has to offer, and his latest outing Stronger
Proof merely tightens the reigns on his polished hybridization of
honky-tonk, pop-rock, and contemporary country styles, while adding just a dash
of homegrown, Texas swagger for good measure. The 10-track set spans less than
31 minutes, yet it still manages to touch all the bases of what one might expect
from such an artist. In other words, his arrangements feature the usual array of
acoustic and electric guitars, piano, fiddle, pedal steel, drums, and bass, and
his lyrics, while solid, aren’t anything out of the ordinary. For example, on
the title tune, Dodd washes away the pain of his broken heart with a night of
hard drinking; on Somethin’ Ain’t Always Better (Than Nothin’), he puts
on a masculine air and revels in his freedom; and on Outside Lookin’ In,
he plays the role of the sensitive guy who finally comes to terms with how much
he misses the gal that got away. Such is the nature of country albums, and
Dodd’s approach veers only slightly from this tried-and-true formula when he
mistakenly dabbles in the Bad Company-derived rock of Let Me Be. Even so,
there’s a lack of pretension to his performance that gives the collection an
authenticity that many of his peers seem to lack. In short, Stronger Proof
is full of amiable country songs that straddle the line between the eras of
George Jones and Billy Ray Cyrus, and if he’d only delve a little deeper into
imitating the former rather than the latter, his albums might be a tad more
memorable and resonant. 
½
Stronger Proof is available from Barnes & Noble.
To order, Click Here!
Ratings
1 Star: Pitiful
2 Stars: Listenable
3 Stars: Respectable
4 Stars: Excellent
5 Stars: Can't Live Without It!!
Copyright © 2004 The Music Box