GRANIAN
Live Sessions (self-released)
Reviewed by Shaun Dale

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After recording a couple of albums with a couple of lineups, Granian frontman Garen Gueyikian seems to have arrived at the conclusion that Granian is, in fact, Garen Gueyikian. In celebration of that recognition, the third Granian album, Live Sessions, is a solo acoustic effort, featuring Gueyikian performing a set of his emotionally rich songs before an audience gathered in a New Jersey studio.

It's Gueyikian's songs, after all, more than anything else, that got Granian tagged as the best unsigned band of 1997 by Spin, got Granian added to the Dawson's Creek soundtrack and sold thousands of CDs and inspired thousands of downloads. In a solo setting, the songs are even more central, which is both the strongest and weakest feature of Live Sessions.

Tip, Garen. If you're going to print your lyrics in a 1 point font, strive for a little more vocal clarity. Ultimately, it was worth the effort I put into getting into these songs. They're terrific songs. Too good to be missed by the folks who won't invest as much effort, in fact.

In the final analysis, though, the delivery is probably a product of Gueyikian's emotional investment in his material, and that's a good thing, too. You probably won't get to the heart of this music with a casual listen or two. You're going to have to dig a bit, but there's treasure buried in there, so get out your shovel and get a copy of Live Sessions.

Track List:

Contagious * Over Now * My Voice * Hands Down * Numb * Sex In A Box * Comin' Back * Anchor * Fragment

© 2003 - Shaun Dale