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After more than 20 years of entertaining audiences from Vermont to California, Seattle-based singer-songwriter Dan Keusal offers his first CD, "All Along." The CD's compositions feature thoughtful lyrics that build bridges from everyday concerns to life's deeper levels. The music is subtly acoustic, ranging in style from the flowing, alternate-tuning, fingerstyle guitar of "Healing Heart" to the rhythmic, jazzy title cut. The full range of Keusal's influences can be heard on this album, from his early love of James Taylor and Dan Fogelberg, to his emulation of jazz guitar greats like Charlie Byrd and Joe Pass (who once invited Keusal to play his guitar), to the textured steel-string instrumentals of Eric Tingstad and Alex De Grassi. A lifelong student of acoustic, modern-folk style guitar, Keusal also studied jazz for a year and a half at the Griggs School of Music in Norfolk, Virginia. On this CD, Keusal is backed by a stellar group of Seattle-based musicians, including Ken Calandra, Stephen Kayser, Mark Iler, Larry Murante, and Walter White. From Richard Middleton's Review of "All Along," in "Victory Review--Acoustic Music Review Magazine": "Keusal is known for his thoughtful, contemporary folk songs, smooth fingerpicking, and gentle vocals, and all are showcased nicely on this intimate recording, which he co-produced with Janis Carper. The sound is warm and inviting, especially when he's joined by pals such as Ken Calandra, Mark Iler, and Larry Murante on vocal harmonies. 'Healing Heart' features some particularly nice three-part vocal arranging, as does 'The Only Way Out.' The latter provides some of the album's songwriting highlights, with a well-crafted chorus that encourages us to find the courage to face our fears: 'The only way out is in/the only way back is through.' The graceful simplicity of the melody and guitar arrangement here works beautifully. The title track features a bright, up-tempo folk-pop arrangment with jazz-influenced chord changes, some nice lead guitar work by Calandra and Stephen Kayser, and Walter White's solid bass. It also features Keusal's strongest vocal performance on the CD, where he relaxes and sings with greater command and a natural sense of phrasing. A fine debut from a talented and warm-hearted local artist." Check out the artist's website: http://www.dankeusal.com Track List: 1. Healing Heart 2. All Along 3. The Only Way Out 4. Somewhere Between Suggested CDs:Other Genres:
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