Daphne Denniston: Press

CD REVIEW BY ROOTSTIME

Rootstime, an internet magazine in the dutch language, which targets roots music-lovers in Belgium & the Netherlands, writes over 150 cd-reviews per month at www. rootstime. be. The following is the English translation of the review that has just been posted:

DAPHNE DENNISTON
FIVE DOLLARS OR THE TRUTH
Myspace CDBaby VIDEO

The cover art of this debut album, with a somewhat blurry picture of the singer, made me a bit reminiscent of a Symbolist painting by Fernand Khnopff, and it immediately attracted my attention. Curious, I asked myself who this lady with the looks of a 19th Century femme fatale could be.

I soon came to know, by going to her myspace, that singer-songwriter Daphne Denniston, who currently resides in San Diego, California, is a traveling soul who, in recent years, has wandered from state to state throughout North America and other regions. Her impressions are expressed in self-written songs, ten of which are now bundled on her first album, entitled, "Five Dollars Or The Truth.

The music of Denniston could easily be categorized as acoustic alt-country/Americana. All songs were recorded live in a home studio, and there was little or no post-production work involved, so it all sounds a bit like hearing them live in your own living room. But ultimately, those points are all trivial when reviewing a singer-songwriter, particularly in relation to the songs that he or she writes. And so it is on this CD that the diamond in-the-rough is exposed.

Opener 'Something Dangerous' is such a wonderful song that after you listen to it a few times, you can no longer get it out of your head. 'In The Winter Hungry' is strongly reminiscent of the better work of someone like Natalie Merchant. The unusual 'Psycho Magnet' seems like an ode to all the crazy people that we meet our life, and sometimes even ourselves.

In the incantation 'She's All Ghosts' you hear echoes of the young Dylan and the fatal attitude of someone like Nico, as mystical smoke hangs in the air. And the beautiful 'Musicians And Lovers' (also often a fatal combination) could hold its own next to one of the early records of Leonard Cohen.

This may prove that Daphne Denniston will be a name that is not forgotten. Whoever takes the time to carefully listen to this album will find a truly nice discovery, so grab the opportunity.

Shake
www.rootstime.be

Five dollars or the truth is now pretty damn near the top of my most played list. Daphne's lyrical depth is a gift that keeps giving. I find something new every time I listen to the CD. Reminds me of when I first listened to Bob Dylan or Townes Van Zandt and realized that there was more to music than a catchy chorus line and a laser light show at the concert. The album manages to be a lyrical heavy hitter without being pretentiously artsy-fartsy by not taking it self too seriously. The backup vocals in "psycho magnet" crack me up. The album also strikes a great balance of emotions. There is a little funny, a little sad, a little let's-get-it-on, and just the right amount of fallin'-in-love. After listening to it I am left with the same feeling you get from a warm well balanced meal. I give the whole works two thumbs up, and that comes from a guy with almost no female vocalists in his music collection. Can't wait for the next album.

Solace of mixed emotion with personal flair ups which bring the intensity of the music to a provoking and in depth view of one's own life. Haunting melodies and bitter sweet vulnerability to the listener