You’ll come away from Peter Gural’s new album Birdy’s World feeling both in touch with life’s deeper moments and invigorated by its ongoing if complicated at times, promise.
There aren’t many releases you can say that about.
It’s a song collection that achieves its effects with individual flair. Its opening song “Birdy’s World” is a recognizable track in the love song tradition, but Gural takes different routes to arrive at the same conclusion. The musical texture is definitely familiar, but even there we have a strong sense of being in the presence of a musician adept at pouring old wine into new bottles.
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Gural, as an one-time student of the Berklee College of Music, has ample chops to burn as both a musician and composer. These aren’t songs that flaunt virtuosity, however, and move in different circles. Contrast is a pivotal part of the success underlying several tracks including the album’s second cut “Lonely Song” as Gural lodges a memorable cut in your memory with his coupling of a near-exuberant pop-rock attack with lyrics mulling over life’s rockier paths. Producer Trey Espinosa deserves considerable praise for helping Gural capture a consistent sound governed by unshakable aesthetics. Birdy’s World sounds like a complete musical and songwriting statement at every turn.
He achieves emotional resonance with listeners again during “Around the Bend”. It doesn’t rely, however, on the same breezy juxtapositions of the preceding tune or the ebullient stride of “Birdy’s Song”. Gural’s songwriting and the musicianship of the principles involved pile-on effects to arrive at a finished work with “Around the Bend” and his intensively responsive vocal dials into the moment as never before.
A light Caribbean lilt percolates the percussion for “Lost Island Man” and the resulting tension from its near lyrical guitar rubbing up against the grimmer implications of its lyrics helps make this one of Birdy’s World’s best. There are a handful of performances on this release where Gural’s vocal talents especially shine and this is one. “Flatline” is another. It’s a thoroughly idiosyncratic decision for Gural to affix an upbeat tempo to this track, as well, but the unexpected pace makes for a more compelling listening experience – particularly given the song’s subject matter. Take a close listen to some of his best lyrics on the album.
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“Your Colors” is another vocal showcase. The rising and falling of his voice do an excellent job of latching onto Gural’s bedazzled respect for the song’s subject without ever making it sound saccharine. “I’ll Be in Your Heart” takes on long-distance relationships and the pain that sometimes comes with trying to make them work without ever allowing its sentiments to descend into greeting card territory. Gural’s ability to write about life’s most dramatic moments without succumbing to melodrama is a significant part of his appeal.
His talents will only continue growing. You get the feeling hearing this song collection that Gural has legitimately turned a corner in his life and a creative bonanza is waiting. Trust in that inner voice, Mr. Gural, trust in the songs. They won’t steer you wrong. You certainly don’t steer us wrong with this release.
Chadwick Easton