David Hansen (http://davidhansenmusic.com) creates Easy Listening music that can reel in not only suburban housewives but college professors as well. It's not as easy as you think (don't try this at home, kids). For the former, there are somewhat jazzy ballads like the title cut; "Love in Three Days"; and "The Meaning." These songs find Hansen spellbound, and at times punched, by love. Hansen's crooning is subtle, restrained, thankfully free from any Michael Bolton histrionics. As you can tell from the classy photographs of him on the sleeve, Hansen isn't peddling cheese. When he sings, "The love within my heart waits for you to come and share this bond," on "Love in Three Days," his voice isn't cracking in anguish. The wounds may be deep, but the blood isn't overflowing.
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On the other hand, Hansen has an experimental vision as well. "Armada," with its wall of synthesizers, is jazz fusion at its most poppy and enjoyably so. You can feel Hansen's affection, his zest for life, in his playing. This isn't some egghead tinkering with his expensive toys. "Toleetah" dances with invigorating New Age rhythms, shedding the genre of its icy stereotypes. The title track is energized by Jim Widlowski's fiery drumming.
While "there's something here for everyone" has become cliche, it's certainly apt in describing Hansen's CD.
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