Caldwell Shine (http://www.caldwellshine.com) could've fooled me. There were moments while listening to "Which Way Is Mine" that I thought I was tuning in to vintage David Bowie, like the lost years between Ziggy Stardust and his white-soul experimentation. That aptly sums up Shine's strengths, actually. Whether or not he is intentionally summoning the Martian baritone of Bowie is a question that only Shine can answer; however, there's no escaping the similarities between Shine and Bowie, especially on "Today" and "These Wired Times." "Today" mines jazzy rhythms with folky strumming, but Shine's deep voice makes it sound like Bowie at a nightclub. On "These Wired Times," it almost seems as if Shine has recognized his kindred spirit, capturing the glammy fuzz and swirling keyboards of the Thin White Duke in his '70s golden years. One can imagine Bowie die-hards Spacehog sobbing at how close Shine gets to their god.
Getting compared to Bowie - especially early Bowie - is a badge of honor second only to knighthood. After all, Bowie represents greatness, the pinnacle of rock & roll excellence; the good may die young, but only the great can be likened to Bowie. But there are other surprising sides to Shine as well. The rough-edged "The Courage Song" is an amalgam of prog and alternative, somewhat like Faith No More minus the rap. "Funny Thing" is bluesy and rootsy, sweetened by the harmony vocals of Aaron Thomas and Sara Harmon. "Sweet Mother Earth," on the other hand, sweeps you away with Pink Floyd-ian atmospherics, world-music percussion, and passionate singing that is reminiscent of...Peter Gabriel. You have to give credit to Shine for his outstanding taste in British musicians.
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Shine will spoil you. After hearing this, you're going to expect such a high degree of consistent quality in singer/songwriter releases. Don't. Like Bowie, Shine is one in a million.
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