Deas Vail:White Lights
| After their album, All Of The Houses Look The Same, released to critical acclaim, Deas Vail certainly had the bar set high for the release of their EP, White Lights. They delivered, kind of. This piano rock quintet from Russellville, Arkansas, stuck to what worked for them the first time. And while some might think that is a good thing, a little more diversity in your follow-up album(even though it is an EP) is what I usually expect. I am just as impressed with lead singer Wes Blalock’s range as I was the first time that I heard them. White Lights just left me wanting me, and not in a good way.
Under Cover, the first track seamlessly transitions between piano melodies to rich guitars. If I had to pick a favorite song on the EP, it would be this one. It is quite catchy, and the lyrics definitely give it a deeper meaning. In comparison, the title track, White Lights, is probably my least favorite. It just feels very repetitive, and the use of Blalock’s range in the chorus adds to the repetitiveness. I feel like thats the problem with the album as a whole. I can see the musical talent, but White Lights feels almost forced in points. And as a fairly young band, thats not something that you want. One of the elements of the album that I truly did appreciate was the use of Laura Blalock’s voice as a compliment to Wes’.
I wanted to like White Lights more than I did, honestly. But after listening to it several times, I just didn’t get hooked in. In their future releases they should use what works, but also branch out and bring in some more elements, in my opinion. I still think that Deas Vail has a bright future ahead for them, which is why I am not to completely pan this album. Musicians work hard at what they do and they deserve the respect for it. In light of this, White Lights gets:
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