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\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0David Fitzpatrick\u2019s new album <\/span>Parachutes in Hurricanes<\/span><\/i> is the latest disk to make its way north from Milwaukee via Gary Tanin\u2019s Daystorm Records. \u00a0I was only able to give it a quick run through when Gary first sent it our way to preview and that is a poor way to listen to a new record. \u00a0By the second run through, I was hearing a depth to the music that I missed on the first quick listen. The quick take on David Fitzpatrick: he has a gritty, soulful voice that is a perfect foil for the songs he has written for this CD, seven of which were co-written with Tanin. \u00a0Word is that it will now hit the streets later this month, so this would be a great time to start spreading the word about another great album from Daystorm.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The last record that I spent a lot of time with before <\/span>Parachutes<\/span><\/i> arrived was Little Steven\u2019s Disciples of Soul record <\/span>Soulfire<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0Fitzpatrick\u2019s opening track, <\/span>Lost on the Same Street,<\/span><\/i> sounds like it could have come from Little Steven himself. \u00a0It is a story song with the aforementioned gritty vocals and an interesting mix that adds shadowy background vocals echoing the main voice. \u00a0The song hits second gear about 40 seconds in mimicking another Little Steven-like trick that brought me back to the <\/span>Soulfire<\/span><\/i> comparison. \u00a0<\/span>Long Way Down<\/span><\/i> slows things down a bit and features a great shimmering organ sound supporting the simple, uncluttered guitar figure noodling underneath (think Mark Knopfler here). \u00a0This second track also has a haunting second vocal part that adds yet another interesting texture to the song.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0Track three (<\/span>Half a Mile<\/span><\/i>) opens with a rather jaunty vocal\/guitar\/organ interplay that seques into a shuffling chorus. \u00a0I really like the way the organ, piano, and the ethereal tones float in the background. <\/span>Half a Mile<\/span><\/i> is eminently humable, especially after they pick up the tempo for the chorus. \u00a0The guitar and wistful vocal opening of <\/span>How I Wish<\/span><\/i> rides a leslie organ riff that adds piano and more shimmery organ fills as layers are added to the song. \u00a0While there are a lot of moving parts to Fitzpatrick\u2019s tunes, he and Tanin have produced arrangements that sound full without turning the mix into a muddy mash of mush. \u00a0<\/span>How I Wish<\/span><\/i> uses mellow background vocals and clean piano punctuations to keep things moving along. \u00a0The half spoken lyrics near the end of the track evoke strong, yearning emotion.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>All In Tonight<\/span><\/i> features Fitzpatrick\u2019s vocals. \u00a0While he doesn\u2019t have an multiple octave range, his vocals fit the songs very well. \u00a0The cleverly arranged harmony and background vocal parts have plenty of room to move and breath around the main vocal line. \u00a0One hardly notices the string passages here, but even though they are subtle, they are essential for the overall feel. The drumming is steady all across the album, but there are also some interesting patterns thrown like the bridge to the chorus at 1:52 \u00a0and again at 2:28 of <\/span>All In Tonight<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0The introduction to <\/span>Your Ghost<\/span><\/i> stays the course with the mellow mood that pervades the first six tracks of <\/span>Parachutes.<\/span><\/i> \u00a0The tempos vary from track to track, but there is more \u2018sway\u2019 to the music than \u2018rock\u2019 \u00a0which is perfectly fine for Fitzpatrick\u2019s introspective songs. <\/span>Your Ghost<\/span><\/i> isn\u2019t a rocker, but it slowly picks up momentum until it is moving along quite nicely. \u00a0\u00a0Track seven (<\/span>Money Isn\u2019t Everything<\/span><\/i>) picks up the beat with a punchy snare sound and bouncy bass line that helps propel the tune. \u00a0This is the second track that evokes Little Steven\u2019s New Jersey sound: jangly guitar, horn fills, pounding piano, gang vocals, slightly fuzzed guitar. \u00a0Come to think of it, the vocals sound as much like Southside Johnny as they do Little Steven\u2019s. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0The jazzy <\/span>I\u2019m So Happy <\/span><\/i>gets back into mellow territory but it isn\u2019t at all like the earlier tracks. \u00a0If the album credits said \u2018horn line played by Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass\u2019 I wouldn\u2019t doubt it. \u00a0Clean, jazzy guitar lines, chirpy organ and a happy vocal make this an interesting track. <\/span>Bed of Roses<\/span><\/i> mixes tremolo guitar and more tasty organ. \u00a0I am a sucker for organ and Fitzpatrick gets a lot of help from Tanin in this regard. \u00a0I like the way this song builds the intensity before winding down toward the end. <\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0There is no doubt that Fitzpatrick and Tanin can craft memorable pop tunes. \u00a0<\/span>If I Could<\/span><\/i>, the fourth track attributed to Fitzpatrick alone, is short, but catchy. \u00a0I found myself nodding my head side to side the same way I did when I first heard Weezer\u2019s <\/span>Buddy Holly<\/span><\/i>. \u00a0The album closes with the piano driven, string sweetened <\/span>Done To Me. \u00a0<\/span><\/i>I absolutely love the way they deploy the organ across this album. \u00a0Fitzpatrick doesn\u2019t perform a lot of vocal gymnastics, but as stated previously he sounds to me like a mixture of Little Steven, Southside Johnny, with a side order of Colin Hay from Men at Work thrown in.<\/span><\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0It will be a pleasure to put this album on the air when it finally hits the street. \u00a0Many thanks to Gary Tanin for sending it along for us to preview!<\/span><\/p>\n Top Piece Video – No new postings yet but here is a 2014 festival clip by the David Fitzpatrick Band.<\/p>\n