OK, I have to admit, I didn't really get Dar at first.

Where was the angst, the double meanings, the cleverness? Isn't that what chick singers do? Sometimes I'm embarrassed to realize how numbed current popular music has made me to creativity. Unlike the standard radio-overplay, Dar's music is fresh, like real life with musical accompaniment. There is an analytical aspect to the lyrics, but at her core, Dar seems to be just a happy person. That's where her perspective is coming from.

Her latest CD, The Beauty of the Rain, starts off with "The World's Not Falling Apart," which is at the same time familiar and original -- and catchy. This music is not a style that usually attracts me. Think Sarah McLaughlin -- a little too mellow, a little too soprano for my tastes. (Not to impugn McLaughlin's talents!) But the background twang of banjo on "Fishing in the Morning" is, hmm, well, I wouldn't have expected that. But this has become not only my favorite song on the album, but one of my favorite songs in general. Somehow Dar seems to exceed the trendy and the common while still managing to maintain a broad appeal.

There's a distinct lack of flashiness to Dar's style. On "The One Who Knows," the music is little more than a strumming guitar, a minimalistic approach that seems to add emphasis to the beautiful lyrics. I'm thinking it's about mother-love, but the words could stand true for any deep connection.

For a change of pace, Dar and her back-up singers rock out on "Closer to Me," a melody of rounds with a backbeat. I can't say I have much for "Whispering Pines," although the interweaving of voices is somewhat reminicent of wind through a forest. The extra male vocalist makes for a duet style that sounds a bit too much like an '80s flashback for me, however.

In a break from her usual solo style, Dar includes quite a few other musicians on this album. Of the many, John Popper (from Blues Traveler), Stefan Lessard (from the Dave Matthews Band) and Bela Fleck are a notable few.

The benefit of owning this CD is the opportunity to really listen to the stories being told. I think the complete effect is cumulative, the package has to be considered in the long-term.

- Rambles
written by Katie Knapp
published 15 February 2003

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