Music Review // Deb Montgomery "All the Water"

https://debmontgomery1.bandcamp.com/album/all-the-water

When this EP first starts, it might sound a little ominous.   There are isolated vocals, a steady drum beat and bass with just that little jangle that perhaps can recall the darker side of Fleetwood Mac.   At this point, I'm already sold on this song because of the intensity of it, but it does eventually kick in to something a bit heavier but also with an acoustic feel.   I haven't had to resort back to my old Cranberries reference for quite some time, but this is along similar lines as when The Cranberries performed on Mtv's Unplugged series. 

I wouldn't call these songs catchy as much as they are infectious.   If you're not sure of the difference then just listen to these with an open mind and you'll find yourself singing along with them whether or not you want to.     While there is a sense of folk in here, these songs are ultimately a dark acoustic type of rock which I enjoy because of their various aspects.   They have that song structure of someone such as, say, Tom Petty where you can sing along and enjoy them but the in some sense that seems like "pop" and the music itself doesn't feel quite as "pop" so I like the contrast there.

"Wake Me" has more of a ballad sound to it and oddly enough it reminds me of some type of song you would sing as a sea shanty but more advanced.   It's odd because the theme of this EP seems to be about water and such so when you think of it as being this sound you could sing in rounds while at sail at sea, yeah, I can feel it.    At the same time "Hold On" has this big building quality to it and at times the guitars can remind me of something like Smashing Pumpkins though I'm not sure there is any clear comparison point here as Deb Montgomery has created a sound all her own, with her own unique voice both in the vocals and the music itself. 

If I pressed to compare this with someone else I would say 4 Non Blondes and that's because I absolutely love Linda Perry and all that she does.    The EP ends with this beautiful song that breaks my rules because I always feel like the last song should give you this feeling of closure but this rather makes you feel like you can do anything.   It's uplifting, but in the way that it will hopefully inspire you as much as this music has inspired me.   I really hope a lot of young songwriters listen to this EP to learn from it as it seems invaluable in that respect.  I know I can't seem to stop listening to it and I'm not even a musician.