The bio sheet that came along with David Dondero's 2nd release on Future Farmer Recordings "The Transient" has a quote from Bright Eyes frontman Conor Oberst..."It was hearing his voice that made me comfortable with my own". Not exactly sure what Conor meant by that, but I'll tell you one thing, David sounds a little bit too much like Conor on this release. I did a little history check on David and it seems as though he's been making music for a while though (possibly even longer than Oberst), so I can't really say he's a "Bright Eyes rip-off", but the vocal similarities definitely threw me off a bit.
On the opening track "Living and the Dead" David sings, "I play the skinny indie white boy blues" and that's a pretty good summary of this release. A bit more stripped and folk sounding than most of the Bright Eyes material. For the most part Dondero chronicles his time on the road bringing his music to the small crowds that come out to see him. The sincerity is definitely there and overall the release is solid. If you're a fan of Bright Eyes and are looking for some more music that is similar give David Dondero a spin.
2.5/4
