Album Details

• Artist: Brent Tyler
• Album: In Rhythm
• Label: indie
• Year of Release: 2010
• ME Rating:
• Reviewed by: dscanland on 2010-09-22

Media

Brent Tyler has become a fixture in Calgary Alberta's music scene, playing regular nights at a few of the live music venues around town. His dream, though, is to play all original material and with the release of In Rhythm, his sophomore album, he may just be on his way to his dream. I could see almost any coffee shop, folk oriented venue wanting Brent to play after hearing this album.

This well produced album has many gems and a few duds but lets walk through the good points before dwelling on the bad. The album opens with the very bold and lush "Remember Broadway". It has a wonderful build-up, to a great bridge and then brought down nicely again. "Ukelele Lady" has a nice rolling riff that presents one of the best tracks on In Rhythm.

"I Could Look At Your Forever" is a track every romantic boy out there will be putting on his mixtape for his prospective girl. Not a favorite but sure to please many. "Living In A World" has a reggae feel as well. This one really grew on me as well. But the appeal of Brent comes from his amazing dexterity on the acoustic guitar as shines through on "Maybe". The funky "Slow It Down" has some great riffs and vocals in it. We get some lovely Martin Sexton style vocal acrobatics on the bouncy "Not Satisfied". This track was one of those that I didn't care for on first listen but it really got under my skin and remains a favorite. It starts out unassuming and then really grabs your attention by the chorus. "Best Intentions" has a good romantic feel as well without being too sappy. The closing "Forgiveness Again" is pretty good too, I really like the group vocals at the end but they should have cut it short about 1.5 minutes earlier before the listener has moved onto the next thing.

"The One Your Mom Likes" gets old really quick. The only reason I can think is the repetitive chorus. The song does have a nice reggae backbeat happening but it gets lost in the chorus. The title track is not up my alley either. It's a lilting romantic ballad that never really grabbed my attention. Another one lacking substance was "Things We Shouldn't Do". "Insomnia" was another track that had no merits and possibly should have been dropped from the play list: at almost 7 minutes and without any real "hooks" to keep the listener around. One reviewers opinion anyway.

For anyone who knows Brent's music, In Rhythm will be a no-brain purchase. For those looking for a new singer/songwriter to call their own you should look into this album. Hit me up if you want to sample a song or two. I'm more than happy to sell a new listener on this budding artist.

User Reviews and Comments

on 2010-10-18 Bjorn Said:

Wow, rather a harsh review. Has the reviewer ever seen Brent Tyler ever perform these songs live? There isn't a 'dud' on this cd. Coffee shop - really??
Not Rated