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Amazon.com - August 1999
A former professional blackjack player, Darryl Purpose is also a skilled finger-style guitarist and lyrical songwriter. He shares a bit of Ellis Paul’s naive charm and sensitivity, but his vocals are more earthy, his wit less cloying.
He has written at least one exceptional song, “The Right Side of Zero,” and if the material on his third release isn’t up to that standard, the moody narrative “For the Story” comes close.
Purpose’s strongest work injects a gambler’s risk-taking urge into themes of marriage, desire, and travel. The musical foundations lie in his dreamy, intricate acoustic guitar playing, with some unobtrusive violin and bass.
The few stabs at folk-rock, though, lean too heavily in an adult-contemporary direction. Purpose finds his element when his imagination and melodies speak for themselves, as on the benedictory title track and the searing and spare “True as the River.”
—Roy Kasten amazon.com |
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