"On the Day that You were Born", by Rey Varela
Genre: Acoustic
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There is a place children burrow within us. Suddenly we become completely enamored with seemingly tiny accomplishments that to us signify a world of growth and expansion. That is the spirit from which this song is derived. Rey Varela adopts a jewel-like guitar picking style and combines it with his own soft melodic vocals to create an atmosphere of innocence that any parent can relate to.

Though I commend him on the optimistic approach he has brought to this piece I feel it as a bit watered down by the pacing of the song and quality of the recording or rather lack there of. The vocals are a little warm and many of the instruments in the background are hard to make out. I really enjoyed however the way Ray combines a tambourine, shaker, and bongos to recreate an eclectic sounding drum set. I actually thought this was a actual set the first couple of times I heard the arrangement ... and I may even be leaving some instrument out. There are some very interesting interchanges that take place within this song and I really enjoyed Reys whimsical tenor voice.

Overall the enjoyment of this piece depends on what your looking for and if what your looking for is optimism and innocence you are on the right track.


Courtney                    
Bandfreaks(c) Staff Reviewer