Dick Aven

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It All Started In The Garden

Self-Released, 2021

8/10

Listen to It All Started In The Garden

A very diverse multi-instrumentalist from Franklin, Tennessee, Dick Aven may be difficult to categorize, but his thoughtful song craft is easy to absorb on this record that he wrote, performed and recorded himself.

Aven starts the listen with the soft, soothing “This Is How I Am”, where soulful singing aligns with both folk and prog-rock ideas, and “No Clue” continues his unique formula with a poetic and dreamy quality of cautious melodies and warm grit.

There’s 10 tracks included, and each one is quite different from the rest, including the sax friendly, jazzy fun of “Island Of My Own”, which even brings in a whistle solo, while the title track showcases brass and woodwinds amid an intimate display of cultured rhythm. “Being Still” then resides closer to piano balladry and highlights an airy flute as tension and beauty both enter the very precise, graceful climate.

The final two tracks, “Glorious Flashes Of Light” and “Perpetual Weekend”, exit the listen on a very high note, where the former spotlights Aven’s strong, soaring pipes and the latter emits a timeless, breezy presence in its hazy, sax fueled finish.

A one man band with a wealth of talent and a keen attention to detail, Aven balances intimacy and exploration on this very striking and memorable effort, and it will be exciting to see where he heads next.

Travels well with: Greg Smith- Redemption Road; Deep Rivers- Nothing Ever Happens To Me