SPILL ALBUM REVIEW: RYAN JAMES BREWER – TENDER

Ryan James Brewer
Tender
Amphion Recordings

How do you combine sunny, sunshine SoCal pop vibe, with something so serious as suicide and depression among musicians and artists in general?

Even though something like that might sound as completely incompatible, Ryan James Brewer and his latest album Tender manage to do just that.

You ‘only’ have to have two qualities – a penchant for great melody and ability for your lyrics to tell your serious story in a manner that will fit within such a concept.

No wonder it took Brewer seven years to create some of the songs on the album and it seems that his work with the likes of Robyn Hitchcock and Ben Kweller had the effect of both picking up the right chords and right words to make these songs work.

While Brewer colors his serious statements with some lighter colours, he is definitely no joker about the themes surrounding mental states among artists. Yet, the focus here is on an excellent album Brewer came up with in Tender showing how you can present serious ideas in an optimistic musical outlook. And above all, it is an album that makes you think and enjoy the music at the same time.

Artist Links