Anthony D’Amato/At First There Was Nothing/Blue Rose Music
Four Out of Five Stars
Anthony D’Amato is not only an exceptional songwriter, but he’s also a reliable artist as well. Over the course of his career, he’s delivered a steady string of outstanding albums that beg attention, especially from those who recognize talent and ability when they hear it. That’s no small claim; after all, there are plenty of talented singer/songwriters that qualify for special attention. However given D’Amato’s extraordinary skillset, he begs extra attention.
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Arriving on the heels of the debut album by his supergroup of sorts, Fantastic Cat, it’s all the more impressive that D’Amato still has a surplus of songs that he could reserve for his own offering. However At First There Was Nothing, its title aside, is hardly a bunch of leftovers. It is, as always, an album flush with memorable melodies that run an emotional gamut from empathy to insight. The upturned optimism of “Long Haul” and the driving delivery shared by “Kinda Strange” contrast with the quieter contemplation one by “Ships in the Night,” which, in turn, gives way to the persistent pacing of “Kinda Strange,” “Enough,” “But I Go” and “Broken Tooth Smile.” That said, D’Amato elevates the energy and intensity with “Everything Does,” “Breaking Slow,” “Trying To Change,” and “The Oyster and the Pearl,” each an example of the sheer exuberance and enthusiasm D’Amato invests in. His efforts.
Recorded in a small town in Utah, At First There Was Nothing pursues potential possibilities found when vast swaths of unspoiled terrain mark the path forward, literally and figuratively as well. D’Amato’s first solo outing in some six years shows that he still has the savvy and sensibility to make music that’s moving, memorable, and extraordinarily affecting in every regard. Suffice it to say, At First There Was Nothing gives those who hear it something they can savor.
Courtesy Propeller PR
