Music Review - `Garden of Edendale` by David Haerle (lz)
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David Haerle - Garden of Edendale (click on image to watch video)
10 March 2019
Sometimes dreams have to be forestalled, delayed well beyond initial expectations. That was true in the case of David Haerle, a California based singer/songwriter whose first album, Garden of Edendale finds him embarking on his career late in life and after several delays, finally fulfilling his dream to create and compose. Seven years in the making, it was clearly worth waiting for. An ode to his native Los Angeles -- check out his exuberant love letter aptly titled “Crush” -- the album spins through a cascade of tones and textures in its exploration of various tales and topics. Haerle’s melodious vocals make an immediate impression, and though he sometimes cedes the spotlight to lean on the occasional instrumental (“The Tone That Got Away,” “Everything I Ever Wanted”), that signature surge remains intact throughout.
To his credit then, Haerle maintains an individual identity that helps affirm his signature sound. With an astute backing band in tow, he veers from the fluid acoustic guitar that colors the lovelorn opener “Finding Natalie” and the sweetly smitten “Always” to the topical talk of a potential woman’s anthem, titled, naturally enough, “Women make the World Go ‘Round,” and the playful “Play It Like the Record,” a decided dig at audiences that insist artists replay their records note for note. There’s a hint of Prince on “Shining Star,” a touch of Crosby Stills Nash in that opening strum of the aforementioned “Finding Natalie,” some similarity to the dour, deep-voiced sound of Lou Reed on the winsome “Tell Your Story,” but clearly it’s clearly Haerle’s harmonious delivery that dominates and creates its own indelible imprint.
Ultimately, Haerle deserves kudos, not only for bringing his quest to fruition but for also realizing such admirable results. “Let’s tell our story, it will help us through,” he suggests on the track titled “Tell Your Story.” By his own example, that’s a lesson well learned. It may be a belated entry, but regardless, Garden of Edendale reflects a career now in full bloom.
