CD Review: Dawes

By Aaron Davis (for JHWeekly.com)Nothing is Wrong DAWES ****On Nothing is Wrong, lead singer/guitarist Taylor Goldsmith channels Jackson Browne’s literalness with Neil Young’s slow-burning electric guitar grooves. All at once accessible, easy-going and emo-rock, this is the new Laurel Canyon sound that plays the sort of nostalgia card that makes you want to cheers a beer with your best friend.While I keep wanting this to be a rocking album, the downbeat hooks of “Time Spent in Los Angeles,” “My Way Back Home,” and “A Little Bit of Everything” are prime examples of the Browne-esque sensitivity that is at the epicenter. (Dawes coincidentally backed and supported Brown on a European tour.) It’s dramatic and caring, and inspires flashbacks of the good times.As a bonus, Nothing is Wrong was recorded live to two-inch analog tape and showcases the well-oiled machine that the Dawes live show has become. (I saw them in Atlanta circa 2009.) While this album does drag in spots, there is some seriously well-written and well-performed material worth sinking into – which is what it demands. tags: jackson hole show music musician live band singer songwriter nightlife concerts wyoming center arts photographer planet teton venues screen door porch boondocks guitar cd reviews