New York, NY (Top40 Charts/ Brian Dolzani official website) Early Buzz Growing, as Singer-Songwriter Dolzani Crafts a Relationship Album For Those Who've Lost Their Voice Along the Way -- U.S. Tour, TV Appearances Are Set
He "reminds us of an earlier version of
Neil Young & Crazy Horse"
"His songs come across as sincere personal confessions" -- "Melodic gems that will stick with you"
"Brian is unforgettable. The energy he channels when he performs digs deep into the baseboards of the floor and way up into the sky. He really has a presence, and the energy that comes through Brian is rare"
Favorable early buzz has greeted singer-songwriter Brian Dolzani's new CD 'If I Don't Speak A Word'. In a lengthy review via BlogCritics, veteran writer Jack Goodstein praises, "His songs come across as sincere personal confessions" -- "melodic gems that will stick with you." The Record-Journal in CT noted, he "reminds us of an earlier version of
Neil Young & Crazy Horse." Indeed, Dolzani, who has also drawn warm comparisons to Jules Shear and Freedy Johnston, has crafted an intimate collection of personal stories, with precise and often stinging lyrics, deceptively catchy melodies and a knack for building quietly painful anecdotes. Some might describe it as a relationship album for those who've lost their voice along the way. Listen to samples, here:
https://soundcloud.com/briandolzani/sets/brian-dolzani-sampler
A U.S. Tour, which will include multiple regional television appearances, has been confirmed for April and May. Kate Callahan, organizer of HartFolk Festival (where Dolzani will soon perform,) raved: "Brian is unforgettable. The energy he channels when he performs digs deep into the baseboards of the floor and way up into the sky. He really has a presence, and the energy that comes through Brian is rare."
Tour Dates:
March 28 Acoustic Cafe Bridgeport, CT
April 1 CT
Style - WTNH TV New Haven, CT (Taping Date. Air date is 4/2)
April 5 17
State Street Cafe Newberryport, MA
April 6 HartFolk Festival Hartford, CT
April 9 Flipnotics Austin, TX
April 11 Opening Bell Dallas, TX
April 13 Bowery Electric New York, NY
April 25 Redding Roadhouse Redding, CT
April 28 Mocha Maya's Shelburne Falls, MA
May 11 John Street Jam Saugerties, NY
May 14 THE CW/WGN-TV Chicago, IL (live TV performance)
May 14 Uncommon Ground Chicago, IL
May 21 Cafe Nine New Haven, CT (opening for
James McCartney)
Additional U.S. tour dates to be announced soon. Visit https://www.briandolzani.com/wp/shows/ for all upcoming concerts.
Dolzani's 'If I Don't Speak A Word' is currently available digitally, with broader distribution planned for the months ahead.
BLOGCRITICS - CD REVIEW
https://blogcritics.org/music/article/music-review-brian-dolzani-if-i/
2/26/13 - BY JACK GOODSTEIN
Listening to singer-songwriter Brian Dolzani's new album If I Don't Speak a Word, I am reminded of the famous Matthew Arnold description of Lord Bryon's poetry in his own "Stanzas from the Grande Chartreuse." Byron's writing, he says, bears "the pageant of his bleeding heart." Keats, Shelley... Byron could bare his soul with the best of them. Of course when you're looking for intimate personal struggle, you don't have to go back to Byron.
Modern songwriters haven't been shy when it comes to laying their emotions on the line. And when it comes to intimate soul searching, Dolzani is following in big footsteps.
Dolzani describes the album as "very much a relationship record, the story of a 'seeker' coming to terms with where they are in life, what they have, what they want to be different; someone who is learning to find their strong voice and find themselves in relation to others, with the looming question of, 'What might happen if I keep quiet?' And the dissatisfied life that may result in." In other words, get things off your chest and move on.
Now there's nothing necessarily wrong with music as therapy, especially if the things the musician is dealing with are the issues we all have to deal with. And especially if he can make us feel that he is sincere about what he is saying. Most especially if he can make his individual bleeding heart pageant universal. Certainly dealing with relationships both good and bad is basic to the human condition and, if nothing else, Dolzani's writing and performance exudes sincerity. The best art conceals its artfulness and from the album's opening song "Older Now" to its last "I'm Sorry Now," Dolzani does the job with consummate skill. His lyrical honesty rarely gets lost in elaborate production. His songs come across as sincere personal confessions. Perhaps the most personal and one of the most effective songs on the album is "Hey Dad," described as "a letter to a deceased father." Dolzani's father died when the singer was 15. It is both simple and moving.
Dolzani can also craft some surprisingly catchy melodies. While he seems to effectively clone
Neil Young in the rocking "Whether or Not," I suspect songs like "Sail This Sea," "Before Goodnight," and "Autumn in Central Park," songs that deal directly with relationships, seem more honest. They are all three melodic gems that will stick with you. And come to think of it, so will "Whether or Not."
For those of us unfamiliar with Dolzani's work, If I Don't Speak My Mind makes for an excellent introduction. It is well worth your time to make his acquaintance.
THE RECORD JOURNAL (CT) - CD review
By Jim Pasinski, 2/25/13 - Excerpts
https://jpsmusicblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/cd-review-sweet-remains-and-brian.html
The album begins with the lyrical "Older Now" as he explains his words of wisdom. The twelve-song release is more about the words than the music as Dolzani's vocals on "Whether or Not" remind us of an earlier version of
Neil Young & Crazy Horse, before feedback became Neil Young's power chord. The songs that strike the most interest are the mostly acoustic storytelling of "Before Goodnight" and "Broken." The album finishes up with the inner search for love in "Autumn In Central Park" and how to deal with love in "I'm Sorry Now."
Dolzani comments: This is very much a relationship record, the story of a 'seeker' coming to terms with where they are in life, what they have, what they want to be different; someone who is learning to find their strong voice and find themselves in relation to others, with the looming question of What might happen if I keep quiet? And the dissatisfied life that that may result in.
More about Brian Dolzani, by Brian Dolzani: Growing up I was always the quietest and shyest kid in the class (yes, very much juxtaposed against being a singer/songwriter. Anyone who knew me in grade school is usually pretty shocked). For safety I learned to keep to myself, quietly observing the world around me, trying not to get hurt and trying to maintain a sense of self despite being in a world of many other kids and people. The loss of my dad when I was 15 really threw my personality into even further fear and feeling I had to hide myself away and go along with others in order to be safe. It always felt hard to be myself. This record symbolizes and documents a very long process of healing and recovery from self-denying habits; a second coming-of-age record (at 40) for those who may have lost their voice along the way in life. Learning to speak one's truth. I hope it sparks others to relate, or perhaps look deeper into themselves and sort out some old material, the stuff we all have hidden away, in order to self-actualize and feel whole and healthy; to be happy with oneself, which includes all the downs as well as ups.
Visit www.briandolzani.com
