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Jim Dugan - Marigold
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 As Jim Dugan launches into his title track “Marigold”, you are back in time to a long summer day with your very first girlfriend. You know, back when you thought it was love, but found out later it was nothing but hormones screaming at you from your body while your insides were going crazy and acne was popping up all over your face. Life’s training ground is fun to look back on; the key word is looking back, much of what we experience is not something we would not want to go through again.
Dugan uses an innate pop sensibility with jangling guitars and great vocals to make each song he records into a clever blend of pop and rock. This is the kind of music that is loaded with irresistible hooks and harmonies, the kind that will stay with you all day whether you like it or not. The name of his label is interesting, IamBreathing Records (not a typo, it is really spelled that way). Dugan puts you on notice that he is alive and breathing and you then find out that he is doing much more than that in the studio.
The repetitive nature of a track like “Let Me Go” may remind you of TV programs like “Friends” or grate on your nerves a little but great songs like “Light” are so different that you will wonder how it got on the same album. That song happened to be my personal favorite. The percussion and keyboards are what give it a very different feel than any other track on the album. Some folks that are into heavier sounds may consider this a bit too flowery and pop oriented for their taste, while that may be true I will recommend that listeners look at the whole picture with this artist. Dugan has a lot of talent to offer and it comes wrapped in many forms and flavors. Going from one end of the musical spectrum to the other is the kind of diversity that pleases me and it was evident that Dugan was capable of doing just that on this album.
Each song has a nice texture with a good blend of guitars and soaring vocals, sometimes rocking but more often than not, the rhythmic strumming electric guitar sounds prevail. It is easier on the eardrums and on a lower scale on the decibel level than metal or hard rock.
The bottom line is that this is quality music with consistency. It offers a broad range of listeners and age groups a chance to find something they like. In the end, that is what everyone that makes a record wants to accomplish and Jim Dugan passed this test with flying colors.
© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck |
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