Watershed
Seeding Thunder, 2023
8/10
A singer-songwriter who calls California home, Arielle Silver returns with a 5th album that blends her Americana, rootsy, and Laurel Canyon ways into 10 warm songs.
“Soft On The Shoulder” opens the listen with Silver’s soft voice alongside Rob Hodges graceful cello and Darby Orr’s agile bass for the crisp folk-rock, and “Bramble Vine” follows with a stirring intimacy that welcomes Denny Weston Jr.’s agile drumming amid Orr’s cozy piano playing.
At the halfway point, “Asteroids And Chaos” gets a bit fuller thanks to Shane Alexander’s glowing guitar playing and Orr’s well timed organ, while “Worth Waiting For” is a pretty acoustic strummer that’s heartfelt, poetic and makes great use of Justine Bennett’s soulful backing vocals.
“Riverdock And Sunset” and “Bottle Up Tonight” exit the listen, where the former benefits much from Jesse Siebenberg’s Weissenborn in the cautious delivery, and the latter showcases Silver’s expressive song craft via the gorgeous singing, light keys and dreamy electric guitar.
A listen that points towards her childhood and environment, Silver embraces influences like Paul Simon, Elton John, and Joni Mitchell, and her vision carries a similar timelessness and beauty.
Travels well with: Glen Phillips- There Is So Much Here; Calling Cadence- Calling Cadence