To hear excellent new singer-songwriters in a musical climate deluged by teen bands, R&B acts and American Idol competitors, it's necessary to scratch beneath the surface of the charts a little. Do that, and you will more than likely come across NYC based solo artist Greg Tannen.
That's because the acclaimed indie musician's previous opus, 'Roam' won more awards than his website has space to list, such was it's quality. Fans of Tannen who gather at the legendary Bitter End in New York to watch him perform will be glad to know that his new release, 'Coney Island' should go on to better that success by some distance.
'Roam' was a sterling, acoustic based album that demonstrated Tannen's knack for a great melody and economical lyrics, but this self-financed follow up fleshes out his diverse sound even more with the full-time presence of a backing band and it's a more professional product (with a Grammy winning producer, mixing engineer and Mastering engineer lending their talents).
'Coney Island' sees the unique, diverse voice of a truly outstanding singer-songwriter emerge, with echoes of the country-rock style of Counting Crows, hints of the gritty focus on intimate detail of Tracy Chapman's best songs and evidence of the anthemic melodies of Train. His eclectic, thoughtful and melodic compositions are the kind of lyrically observant and memorable songs that command attention throughout the duration of the album and leave a lasting impression.
Nowhere is that more true than on the quite brilliant 'In America' -- Tannen's poignant tribute to the tragedy of September 11th. However well intentioned, there were plenty of ill-advised songs written in the aftermath of that terrible day, but this is not one of them. Using sleight-of-hand references to the events and some fittingly understated acoustic guitar and piano, Tannen masterfully humanises his nameless subjects and sketches an appropriate, poignant and intelligent reaction to the tragedy.
'Annabel's Falling' is another gem, shimmering with the quality and depth of Tannen's atmospheric lyrics that somehow make seemingly mundane observations interesting. Then the country rock of 'Concrete and Steel' ups the pace but like the jaunty opener 'Just Across The River', it never compromises on quality.
The vibrant and soulful 'Coney Island, Mid-July' again hints at comparisons with Tracy Chapman and the diversity of material continues with the gentle romance of 'It's You' and the intimate acoustic vibe of 'Do What You Gotta Do'.
Tannen has clearly worked hard on improving on his talent of songwriting, and his knack for melody is perhaps best illustrated on 'Nothing From You' which recalls the outstanding 'Lucky This Time' from his debut record. Overall, Tannen has excelled himself with 'Coney Island', and revealed a snapshot of the talent that bubbles beneath the surface of what passes for mainstream music in 2002.
Diverse sounding singer-songwriters may not be currently in vogue, but it's talent like this that will surely be around for the long term, long after the music industry has become bored of its fascination for one-hit wonders.

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