Sleep Beneath the Willow
Daniel Romano
You’ve Changed
Records.
There aren’t many
songwriters thriving in Canada’s independent scene who cite Conway Twitty as a
major inspiration, but that’s just one of countless reasons Daniel Romano is
so irreplaceable. Every project Romano has worked on this year – he’s kept
himself very busy – wields a freshness and honesty that couldn’t be
manufactured, and Sleep Beneath the Willow follows that mantra to a tee.
A country record
that thrives on deep cuts, Romano laments heartbreak and redemption over burly
guitar, bittersweet pedal steel and distant chorals. The subdued ‘Knowing That
You’re Mine’ and ‘I Won’t Let It’ likely won't stick out in your mind on the
first spin, but they’re the glue that makes Sleep Beneath the Willow so
authentically dour. And thankfully, Romano spreads those warm but harsh songs
around should-be classics like ‘Hard On You’ and ‘There Are Lines In My Face’.
Somehow, inexplicably, songwriting of this caliber has yet to catapult Romano up
the international country scaffolding but rest assured: a song like ‘Time
Forgot (to Change My Heart)’ can’t stay hidden forever. And Sleep Beneath the
Willow, I truly believe, will find a larger following in the years to come.
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