David Dallas has been floating around for awhile now. His most notable work has been with Frontline, a duo which consisted of himself and producer Nick McLaren a.k.a Forty One. You may also remember him for that verse that put everyone else to shame on the ‘Not Many’ remix way back when.
‘Something Awesome’ is Dallas’ debut album and a showcase of what he can do all on his own. Well, sort of. McLaren still handles production duty on six of the tracks including the new single, ‘Big Time.’ Elsewhere we have some amazing work from production duo, Fire & Ice, who do a nice job of complimenting Dallas on tracks like ‘Ain’t None Left’ and ‘In The Mood.’
TVNZ recently ran a review of ‘Something Awesome’ where Joachim Hacksaw mentioned that “Dallas appears to have dealt with the heaviest of his personal issues on (his) previous project.” Although it may seem like that on first impressions, the more the album plays out, the more the songs seep through to reveal a struggle beneath the surface. Instead of money, cars and girls we get talk of a maxed-out credit card, disappointing his girlfriend and putting in the hard work to follow his dream, only to face the realities of the fact that it may never happen. It all gives him a unique perspective on the realities of being a struggling artist in New Zealand. Even on the promising sounds of ‘Big Time’ we get a man torn between a regular life or following his dreams. A student loan or the chance at a successful rap career. “If you ain’t got no money little Dave/ here’s a student loan form/you can sign your life away.”
It’s a bold move and I know that I’m not the only one who hope’s that something actually comes of this. He’s definitely got the singles to back him up. ‘Indulge Me’ runs through simple subject matter in an effective manner. “I won’t get ahead of myself,” he quips. On ‘Big Time,’ Forty One’s slick production compliments Dallas’ easygoing flow and leaves me surprised that mainstream radio still isn’t pushing the song. The accompanying video, directed by Joel Kefali, is also one of my favourite videos released in the past year.
Mid-album we get ‘First Time,’ a song with a few hilarious stories of smoking weed with a perfect verse from Young Sid who compliments Dallas’ self-awareness with his own. Soon after, ‘I Get The Feelin’ plays as the most upbeat moment on the record and puts it’s hand up for the third single.
On a personal level, it’s the basic set of struggles that Dallas talks about that keep me coming back to the album. Still, Dallas always gives off the feeling that something better is going to happen. Just when you think his problems are going to override everything, the theme of his album finally blossoms; hope. And in his position and for all of us who want something more, his lyrics seem universal. Just when you think all this shit is going to continue we get a glimmer of hope in a track like ‘Never Met,’ which makes you feel like something big could really happen here. Maybe even something awesome.
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[...] If you’re in the area we strongly suggest you check this out. As the poster says, entry is by donation and proceeds will go to those affected by the tsunami in Samoa. It’s a pretty good chance to hear David Dallas before he flies out to New York to play the CMJ festival as well. ‘Something Awesome’ is the shit. [...]