Album – Room to Dream – Tom Wehrle

Posted by admin on June 22nd, 2006

Room to Dream is Tom’s sophomore album. It’s funny, but that just isn’t a term that means anything to the majority of Brits. A sophomore album is the one that follows the debut album and is usually the most difficult and nerve wracking album, as the debut sets peoples expectations. I haven’t had a chance to listen to Tom’s debut album “Something You Can’t Find”, so can’t make that comparison, but that also means I can be more objective.

From the get go, it’s immediately obvious that Tom has one of those very characteristic voices. A low, husky voice, with just a hint of gravel.. and sprinkles with chocolate sauce. OK, maybe I need to read a dictionary to find some more adjectives, but Tom’s voice is one that stands out and makes an impact when you first play the album, which is always a plus in my books.

The album opens with “Far Away”, which immediately made me think of the Australian band Savage Garden, with it’s acoustic feel and catchy tune. This track pretty much sets up the rest of the album as there are some great pop songs on here, with that bright optimistic feel, that makes albums like this a delight to play when the weather is nice and you just feel like kicking back with some good music and a beer or two. That’s not to say there aren’t a few more poignant, reflective songs, there are “I Will Be Your Friend” being a good example.

One of the things I particular like, is the breakdown on the website of what is behind each song, along with the lyrics. It’s great to get this kind of insight into creation process and I found this by accident, just trawling through the site. That being said, I always like to read this kind of stuff, after I’ve formed the majority of my reviews, as I’m always worried about being driven by what’s written.

Conclusion : This is a great album, with a wonderful balance of songs. One of my favorite albums of all time, is “Woodface” by Crowded House, which is a wonderful example of a well balanced album (even though, to this day, I still skip past “Chocolate Cake”, which very nearly upsets the apple cart) and would consider “Room to Dream” right up there alongside.

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