Beautiful music rises from the city of Rotterdam. Bear Valor (formerly Book Of Eli) is the band around singer-songwriter Aileigh Awad. She is flanked by three backing singers, a lead guitar and a double bass. Awads songs with autumn colors are rooted in folk and country and are sung by her with a warm, muffled voice. The melancholy that she evokes is further enhanced by the vocal harmonies that
… weave themselves through the lead vocals like braids. Guitar and double bass play purely on atmosphere, in addition to sparse percussion from producer Tammo Kersbergen. At the same time, the whole creates a tension that a film director like David Lynch should know how to handle. Bear Valor surprises again towards the end with the sad trombone solo in The Garden and the powerful, almost soaring choirs in Laura, where for the first time use solid drums. There will be a rich debut in October. (MR)more
