The Dinah Brand – I Can Walk Through

I don’t know what’s happened to me, dear reader. Where once listening to new music excited me, now I find myself being distinctly underwhelmed. Where once I could navigate a route to a polar opinion, now I struggle to move away from indifference. I’m unsure whether this is my fault, or the fault of bands such as The Dinah Brand – whose unthreatening album has meandered aimlessly through half an hour of my life at various intervals over the past fortnight.

It’s difficult to come to any kind of opinion here. Opener ‘Reunion’ is a delightful piece of country-pop, as is the follow-up ‘What’s Required Of A Person’ – this one could quite easily slot into your favourite episode of Scrubs, and to me there’s no higher accolade. When the brass kicks in on the latter The Dinah Brand could quite easily become your favourite five-piece.

But it’s the lack of any real spark or intent which drags the album down. Every track is carried along at a half-pace, often staying a good minute longer than is comfortable. There’s a good feeling to most of the songs presented, however the distinct lack of pace makes it extremely difficult to get involved or connect with the majority of the pieces.

Don’t get me wrong though, there’s nothing at all wrong with I Can Walk Through. It’s intermittently inspiring and often emotional, but it’s lacking the kind of kick that occasionally goes missing in all but the best acoustic-led country music. Penultimate track ‘Bands’ makes a valiant go of reviving a mid-album lull after ‘Team Of Fast Detectives’, bringing some well worked electric guitar into the mix. Unfortunately this doesn’t up the tempo at all, despite some fun “doo wop” harmonies near the end.

The Dinah Brand have succeeded in producing one of the most laidback albums of 2010, combined with some intelligent brass work and interesting music. The lyrics are a bit throwaway, and there’s nothing here which will tempt you out of a gentle slumber, but similarly there’s nothing at all offensive or difficult to digest. One for a lazy afternoon.