I’ll admit that soft and gentle singer/songwriters are not my preference; I like ‘em dark and hard. However, I do appreciate artistic integrity and sincerity which I sense David Saw has by the truckload.

Saw’s voice is naturally soft and the songs on this album are tailor-made for it. Opening song ‘Don’t Call’ is about a lover that walks away and one get’s the impression that Saw is talking quietly to her to say that she is not welcome back after breaking his heart. The instrumental backdrop is simple acoustic at its best and the melody is subtle and good. ‘Simple Song’ is just that and an excellent example of how Saw’s voice is allowed to come through with every lyric crystal clear. The lyrics are simple yet powerful: “I love you like a melody, you’re running through my head. I love you like a simple song, you always sound the best.” ‘Broken Down Figure’ is an album highlight as Saw manages to inject a tad more melody, a tad more instrumentation including some beautiful string moments, and diversity of pace. ‘Buy My Record’ fairly races along in comparison with the previous songs and injects a jazzy blues vibe. It’s going to be the first single off the album and understandably so. ‘Savannah’s World’ is introduced by tumbling guitar notes and is notable for the vocal which sounds like a meandering mountain stream. Delightful.

The second half of the album holds no surprises with the exception of the pacier, pop vibe of ‘Someon’s Gonna Love You’ which I suspect could be single number two. Fans of artists like Ben Taylor and David Kitt wil love this record, which I believe is better than both these artists’ latest efforts. My only criticism is that several of the songs are sonically similar - a little more diversity would have been welcome. Recommended.

3.8/5