David Caine & The Senses - Need Want

The album is becoming a dying art. What was once a consistent expression of a message or theme from beginning to end has been replaced by singles and one-offs available on iTunes and other on-line music retailers. There are, however, some who still believe in the significance of the album and David Cain & The Senses are one of them. On their newest CD, “Need Want”, the Senses deliver an honest message with songs about life and love that begin on track one and last until the very end.

The Senses continue to expand their experimental jazz-infused sounds that they are known for while mirroring them in the emotions there are presenting in their lyrics. The opening track, “Be The Change” helps set the tone for the rest of the album, bringing attention to our own inhibitions and ability to control our own lives with the line, “choose it, don’t lose it”. This reminder of self-empowerment and willingness to take charge is rampant throughout “Need Want”. Cain advises in “If You Want Love” that “If you want love, give love” and “Be hated or loved/The choice is always yours to make” on the track appropriately titled “Choice”. It is no coincidence that Cain is trying to send out a warning in these songs to open our eyes to the world around us that we take for granted every day.

While the lyrics are straightforward and to the point, the music is anything but. The Senses have created a strange new landscape containing a hybrid of different musical elements from jazz to rock. The most noticeable progression in their sound is the focus on guitarist Howard Freitag that was hinted at on “Looking For Your Face” . His power chord romp in “To You” and shredding licks in the electronic industrial beat of “Stay Awake” sound out of place at times, but that is only because the Senses seemingly have no rules; they allow the music to take over. The bass work of Jeff Cunningham and sax of David Cain add a funk/jazz quality and stop the music from veering off too much in one direction by being juxtaposed to the rock guitar in “To You”. The creative use of the synthesizer adds texture and a wide atmosphere that helps envelope all the other instruments and keep them from wandering off in the funky “I Say It” .

But the strength of The Senses can at times also be their weakness. There is no doubt that each musician is talented in their own right and can hold their own, but it is the vast array of input from each of them that can be mind boggling, making them sound like they are fighting each other to get their part in. Whether it be the trumpet, guitar or keyboards, you can’t help but feel like they are throwing too much at you at once on songs like, “Take Away Everything”. This is a result of their approach to jamming within the confines of their songs but taking the risk of jumping without looking down to see where they’ll land can be just as rewarding for them as it can be alienating for the listener. It does not sound Like David Cain & The Senses are concerned about this though, rather they are not afraid of falling as long as they get their message across in the process.