I am Jaida Dreyer (Streamsound, 2013)
Jaida Dreyer
Reviewed by Dustin Blumhagen
Sugarland's Kristian Bush makes an appearance on The Boy Who Cried Love, which is a throwaway mid-tempo ballad. For the most part, Dreyer's voice is poorly matched with the songs she has written. The warble and twang could have been used to her advantage, but instead they clash awkwardly with the more pop tendencies that dominate.
When she manages to match her voice to the song, it works very well. It just doesn't happen very often. Lead single Half Broke Horses is a great emotional track. The Dobro in Cocaine adds a little bit of blues, which complements her rough voice well. The stand out track, South of the Sun, is an easy going danceable number with plenty of mandolin and Dobro.
At her best, Dreyer is vaguely reminiscent of Ashton Shepherd or Sunny Sweeney, but for the most part she channels artists from a bygone era. It sounds like something producer Byron Gallimore would have released 20 years ago.
CDs by Jaida Dreyer
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