Armed with an all-new image, Ryan Cabrera went the indie route for his third effort The Moon Under Water. After being dropped by his major label, Ryan wasted no time recording new material & releasing it to his fans. It is a shame, however, how underrated Ryan is. He is an incredibly talented singer & not only stays consistent with the quality of his music minus the big money producers & label, but maybe even improves it. In fact, I find it difficult to say anything negative about his latest album.The Moon Under Water starts off well with "In Between Lights," which leads into the album's second single "Enemies," a catchy tune with something to say. Speaking of catchiness & things to 'say,' the first single off the project, "Say," would have been a massive Top 40 hit had there been big promotion bucks behind it. And just think: it didn't even take some famous behind-the-scenes magician in the industry to create "Say." Good stuff.
Ryan slows it down a little on "Rise (The Dog Barks)," a nice, calming song, (possibly) despite its title. Like the first track, Ryan doesn't completely abandon his pop/rock beginnings on "Sit Back, Relax," which is one that shows off his great vocals quite well. Ryan returns us to his edgier sound with "The Tango," then slows it down again for contrast with "How Bout Tonite," both enjoyable tracks. Probably only because I can relate to it the most personally, my favorite song on the album, "I Shoulda Kissed U," has great emotion from Ryan within the awesome vocal delivery.
Wrapping it up incredibly well, "Say You Will" & "Please Don't Lie" are those magical songs that you can listen to on repeat & never get sick of. The last track on the CD is probably the most recognizable: "I Will Remember You." Unfortunately, I think it is the weakest song on the album, but it seems as more of an add-on, as it has never been featured on an album of his before, than an actual finale.
The Moon Under Water features the triumphant return of one of the industry's most talented young men right now--except, this time, he is finally making music his way. I loved Ryan's first two albums & I was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed his third effort, simply because he made the whole thing by himself. Sure, basically all the songs are either uptempos or ballads, but the whole album sounding similar works in this case because of how good that 'similar' happens to be. If I can't say anything else, I have to stress just how much we need someone like Ryan Cabrera in an industry with, oh I don't know, the Jonas Brothers?... True talent. Good music. Isn't that what we really want anyway?
Rating: 4/5 Stars
