Review by Matt Wong & Staff
An accomplished veteran of the Pittsburgh, Midwest and East Coast music scenes since 1965, Dave Molter counts The Beatles as his primary influence. Dave's debut EP, "Foolish Heart" produced four No. 1 singles since its release in September 2019. Dave's latest single, "Oh Woman, Don't You Cry," debuted at #1 on Radio VGR in the UK and remained on the Radio Indie Alliance Top 40. Dave also came in 25th from more than 400 artists nominated for the Radio TFSC (Germany) "Artist of the Year 2019" chart. Dave's debut single, "Mid-Century Man" has occupied a spot in the ZTR.FM (Fort worth, Texas) Top 10 listener requests since Memorial Day 2019. The songs on "Foolish Heart" are an eclectic mix of styles reflecting the varied influences Dave listened to while growing up in the Sixties. Hi sound is influenced by world music, reggae, prog rock, psychedelia, Phil Spector, Brian Wilson, Peter Gabriel and many others. “Be the Sunshine” begins with drums and guitars setting up the groove and a soundscape. Listeners will hear pick scrapes, swells, and vibey parts, which create a feeling off ebb and flow in song’s intro. Molter’s lead and backing vocals enter on the first verse, along with the bass. The vocals appear to almost to glide over the vibe set up by the guitar and drums, which continues from the intro, but leaves plenty of room for the vocals to speak.
On the chorus, the swirl of guitars and drums continue, and build in intensity - the parallel motion between the bass and the vocals are what gives the chorus life and motion. The song then goes through another verse and chorus before hitting an instrumental section. No single instrument dominates here, but rather they play off each other to continue and emphasize the the push and pull effect that listeners have been accustomed to hearing throughout the song.
The lyrics in “Be the Sunshine” are centered around the theme of love. Having come of age during the Summer of Love, Molter sings about how “love will astound you” and that you should “welcome it with arms open wide.” With this song, Molter wants to convey to listeners that “the world’s not as bad as it seems if we let our love be our guiding light.”
“Be the Sunshine” by Dave Molter is a piece of music that brilliantly uses its arrangement to evoke deep emotions from listeners. It is built from many layers and textures, and builds a swirl of sound, all while remaining cohesive, and framing Molter’s enticing vocals. Shout out to Billy Rossi on an excellent production.
Listen on Spotify.
For more information on Dave Molter,
please visit his website.
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