Bend In The Middle
Inner View, 2024
9/10
The 4th album from the singer-songwriter and therapist Jeremy Dion, the 11 songs here recruit plenty of riffs, lots of guests and similarities to Neil Diamond, The Grateful Dead or John Mayer.
“All I See Is You” starts the listen with warm acoustic guitar and cozy vocal harmonies thanks to the timeless folk song craft, and the title track follows with Eric Moon’s well timed keys and Christian Teele’s fluid drumming that adds much playfulness.
Landing in the middle, the warm spirit of “Sweet June” is full of melody and harmonic singing that’s heartfelt, while “It Happened So Fast” showcases Dion’s smooth pipes amid some jam band ideas surrounding the textured and rich songwriting.
Arriving close to the end, “Better You Know My Name” is a precise, animated and collaborative album highlight that invites a sing-along, and “The Haunting” exits with an indeed haunting mood via Courtlyn Carpenter’s atmospheric cello, the eerie fiddles and layered voices.
Dion uses strategies from his therapy for the enlightening wordplay, and the musicianship balances folk and bluegrass with technical yet easily accessible songs that resonate long after the music ends.
Travels well with: Jim Patton & Sherry Brokus- Harbortowne; Nick Taylor- Not Alone