Boy and Bear Fall Off The Wire Due To Mumbled Singing

Australia and quality music have a long reputation. AC/DC springs to mind. For the adult contemporary minded among us there was Little River Band and, don't shoot me for liking them, Air Supply. Olivia Newton-John has decades long credibility as does Sir Elton John. Let's not forget INXS, the Aussie juggernaut of the '80s and its luscious lead singer the dearly departed Michael Hutchence. I can honestly say Boy and Bear don't follow in that tradition, nor does it have a chance at doing so if its lead singer doesn't stop mumbling. David Hosking needs to open his mouth a little wider so that syllables can come out and play. I have a lyrics sheet to cheat off of so apparently human language is part of the equation in "Walk the Wire". Jonathan Hart reminds us that keyboards play a starring role in the act. In fact that's the lone redeeming quality of the song. I could have used these three minutes noodling on a store bought keyboard and the experience would have been more rewarding. David Symes fiddles around on bass somewhere but, for the life of me, I can't make it out. Timothy Hart's drum beats are faintly palpable, if they're there at all. Killian Gavin's guitar gets pushed to the background too. The narrow focus stays on David, keyboards, and unshakable mumbling. Boy meets girl. Boy tumbles into scene he's uncomfortable with. Boy encourages girl to take his hand and humor the faded advice he's bestowing upon her, a woman who's earned the right to be brave in his opinion. Two souls teetering along the high wire, trying not to fall into the briny deep below. I could have had a heightened emotional connection but no, David's not talking clearly enough to make me want to give him the time of day much less sympathize with him. Dave begs with Fate to be saved from himself. Maybe that's why his vocal delivery is so meek. He's trying to answer his own prayer and do his own saving. He claims "There's no heaven in a folk song". So to that John Denver lovers out there, prepare to be richly disappointed. "Walk the Wire" is disappointment personified. There's potential for a warm fire but, the band forgot to bring along enough kindling and/or matches. One dimensional artistry isn't conducive to brand name loyalty. If only Boy and Bear sounded like a five person unit. Not even close to reality. "Walk the Wire" runs out of steam too fast. If you're a wise music consumer, you'll politely smile at this song and move on to something bouncier.