Boyd Tinsley is known for his role in one of the best bands of the decade, Dave Matthews Band. His fast hands and unbelievable stage presence made him a very popular violinist.
He first tested his vocal skills in the song "True Reflections" on the live DMB CD, Listener Supported. To be honest, it's a song I tend to skip over.
And yet, I was excited to get Boyd's first solo album, True Reflections. 'A new branch of DMB!' I thought. But to my surprise, it's much different than the band he's worked with for so long.
The bluesy/folksy style lends more soul to the music and his deep, sorrowful voice can get you at times. Some songs were disappointingly popish - but certainly nothing too Britney or Justin.
Occasionally he would also try to stray from where his voice is truly beautiful - on the lower end - and would attempt to get his voice a few octaves higher than he should have (which was distracting) -- but overall, his unique sound was mesmerizing.
Sadly, the lyrics were lacking - too much rhyming and not much meaning. He uses the words 'love' and 'wonder' a million times, but never really expands on them at all.
As a DMB fan, I appreciate them for not only their amazing instrumental talent, but also their story-like lyrics. Boyd seems like he's just starting to get the hang of writing songs and isn't really delving into anything emotionally gripping, which is fine, I guess, but with such moving music, I expected more.
After listening to this CD all day, it did start growing on me. If you decide to buy it, which I don't advise against, listen to it while you're doing something else. Then the lyrics sort of melt into each other and you won't have to focus on how much they suck.
Reach the reporter at emily.murphy@asu.edu.
