Tony Brown makes a wonderful mishmash of musical sounds, like a cook that creates tasty casseroles out of almost any old collection of ingredients. Ah, but Chef Brown chooses only the best elements to make his dishes, as Music for A Shrinking World will most certainly expand any listener’s appreciation for what this man can do.

This seven-song CD opens with one called "Turnstiles," which tastefully utilizes both strings and acoustic guitar together. It contains a little Counting Crows here, a little Seal there, and a whole lot of Van Morrison almost everywhere. Like Morrison, Brown at first sounds to be wondering with no particular place to go. But such a perception is beautifully deceptive because Brown is always aiming to reach out and strike an emotional nerve, which he hits 99.9% of the time.

"Something To Die For" is a song that bluntly states Brown’s sincere passion for living, especially when he pleads, "Just give me something to die for." He longs for solid life goals, but these desires are sometimes inhibited by the brooding darkness of our modern world. Over a 70s soul sonic bed, which is further enriched by reggae undertones, he states: "It always feels like the blind leading the blind, tell me what you’re gonna do to ease my mind." But there's no immediate reply to this plea.

This CD’s best song is the epically tragic "Hellbound." It features the sort of pessimistic lyric that seemingly no traveling evangelist can counter. But it aims for the big fish, not the little ones. "All you presidents, all you CEOs come on down." And with the recent Wall Street troubles, this straight-to-hell path for CEOs seems all that more realistic. Who's not to say we're all hellbound, what with the housing market collapse?

Although Brown seems to be more familiar with darkness than light, he is also willing to sing about hope when he finds thin slivers of it. On one track titled "Alone," he holds out the promise of relational comfort by singing, "I won’t leave you alone." And while blues music is hinted at – especially lyrically – Brown doesn’t play too much that sounds like blues until the last song, "One Last Try," which sports a powerfully gruff vocal and a striking blues guitar solo.

Tony Brown is a unique talent, with a musical passion we haven’t heard since Seal. But Brown is sometimes even better than Seal because he doesn’t rely on complex studio trickery to sell his sentiments. Music for A Shrinking World comes directly from Tony Brown’s huge heart.

By Dan MacIntosh (Indie-Music.com)

Saturday, January 31/2009

Swati w/Tony Brown & The Faithful

This Saturday (Jan. 31), Babeville will host an evening dedicated to two rising singer-songwriters with international flare. Swati, a NYC native who began her musical career in the classical world, plays a twelve-string guitar that has been fitted with eight. She sings and plays in a style that is gripping, percussive, honest, and contains hints of her Indian heritage. Tony Brown, a former member of upstate NY’s infamous Ozone, now tours with his band the Faithful, a gathering of experienced, eclectic musicians hailing from around the globe. Brown’s soulful, powerful voice, along with the acoustic world vibe that his band mates bring, creates a sound that mixes blues, folk, and alternative rock. Together, these two acts should produce a night packed with originality and talent.

lindsay berman - Artvoice Magazine Buffalo