Gaston Light – Peel
2011, Idol Records
2011, Idol Records
Dallas-born and based (by way of Los Angeles) Gaston Lightbrings a musical melting pot on his debut album, Peel. Born Jason Corcoran,Gaston Light blends a musical melting pot of roots rock, country, soul, bluesand folk, while showing a surprising lyrically subtlety for a twenty-two yearold singer/songwriter.
Peel opens inprovocative fashion with “Athens, TX”, giving the account of a murder in thefirst person from the one who got away with it. The song is not as disturbing as it probably should be. “Morning Fog” has a melancholy, sing-song airthat is aurally appealing, even if the vocal line is a bit flatenergy-wise. The arrangement is nicelystructured, and the guitar work lends a full sound to the composition. “Kiss The Hive” is intriguing; Gaston Lightuses an angular guitar sound to create an unsettled dynamic. It’s unclear whether this is intentional, butit almost sounds as if he’s on to something sonically. “In A Casket” shines from the middle of thealbum; it’s a great tune, albeit with an unusual premise. It’s a catchy, roots rock number with someimpressive pedal steel work going on in the background, and light gives asurprising vocal turn that’s one of the highlights of the album.
Gaston Light works his way through numbers such as “HalfAwake”, “Close Your Good Eye” and “Crown”, while finding small moments in thecatchy fun of “Xanax Blues” and the sappy/sweet “I’ll Wait For You (Please WaitFor Me)”. Light’s voice is pleasant tolisten to, but there is a passive quality to his vocal style that can beinterpreted as a real lack of energy or conviction. It may just be Light mindfully working aroundhis own vocal limitations, but if so, it challenges him to raise the energylevel in the vocal lines in order to stay connected with listeners. Musically, Peel is above average. Lightshows a penchant for unusual sounds and construction while staying married totraditional song forms. His ear isexcellent, as you’ll hear in the instrumental mixes woven into the seams ofeach song on Peel. It’s safe to say that Gaston Light shows alot of promise, but is still figuring out where he fits musically. Peel,however, is a solid start.
Rating: 3 Stars (Outof 5)
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