Dave Daniels: A Place to Put a Dream

Self-released

With his latest EP, A Place to Put a Dream, Dave Daniels makes the jump from solo acoustic singer/songwriter to frontman for a robust ensemble that uncovers all sorts of new dimensions in his writing. The string and horn arrangements in “Got One” and “The Art of Running Away” are spacious, grand and surpass pretty much everything that Daniels crafted with his prior release, Just Like Ghosts. The Caribbean inflections of “Back to the Island” and subtle Beatles-esque title track carry Daniels to a higher plain of musicianship. Though he proves he knows how to write good songs, the charming, breezy drift of “Waiting for the Light” and “The Good Kids” can be a bit too innocuous for their own good. Still, the EP is an impressive step forward for Daniels, one that alters the very nature of what he does while showing signs of unforeseen talent. (4 out of 5 stars)