“Bravo” is yacht rock on a dinghy’s budget. It’s scaled down; stripped of its meat; a skeleton of a whale decorated - like a Charlie Brown Christmas Tree - enough, no-more-no-less, to make the sale.
The brass section, the backing vocalists, the auxiliary percussionists - nowhere in earshot. They must have gone overboard. Yet, a full-scale production would prove excessive, for “Bravo” is already bioluminescent without the aid of a symphony or a daisy chain. Picture multiples of Michael McDonald singing 2nds with hisselves, a cappella, the other studio tracks muted.
For kicks, to pass the time on the sea, a good friend of mine reduces artists to two categories: “Lion King” or “Modest Mouse.” In other words, epic or undersized - towering or tiny - high and mighty or low and humble. “Bravo” exists in the gray area. With confidence and a clean smile, it is intimate and exposed; vulnerable. Down to its skivvies, it shrugs. Nothing else is necessary. Skydive Trio shrugs. They reach the peak with hands in pockets.
• Thomas T. Dahl: https://thomastdahl.wordpress.com
• Mats Eilertsen: http://www.matseilertsen.com
• Olavi Louhivuori: http://www.olavilouhivuori.com
• Hubro: http://hubromusic.com