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CON'T:
He says, “One of these bikes is more than a twin, as he pumped up the tires and polished the rim, I’m saving it for my Mrs. Schwinn.” When death greets him before he finds a wife, the bikes, “perfectly matched like a groom and a bride,” are given away. We can almost hear the group sigh.)
In “Child Of Hearts,” as the surprised father is confronted by his own four-year-old and declares “a little girl was never in my plans, you see, I make my way with a serenade.” Though a fragile subject, the delivery is not. Ellis Paul adds harmony to the chorus. Sporting lines such as “I’m not the kind to have and hold” leads me to believe that musical accompaniment, so reminiscent of Springstein’s “Born to Run,” is intentional.
In the very next tune, in utter and complete opposition of musical mood and lyrical sentiment, we hear a romantic duet with Lucy Kaplansky. Here, Purpose convincingly and lovingly expresses his adoration for “the loveliest person that I’ve ever known” as he wakes on “the first day of living” with a ring on his hand. This beautiful duet had arrangement help from Dave Carter and Tracy Grammcr. This song is destined to make the rounds in many a wedding, and deservingly so.
The title cut, “Traveler’s Code,” ends the release with young children’s voices on the final chorus. Even before then, though, the melody is a sticker. In fact, many of Purpose’s melodies have quiet little hooks of beauty. The rising “Follow the light, when the woods become thick, follow the light, when your eyes show you tricks...” will hang in your hum bank along with the “this ring surrounds our doubt” bridge in “Ring On My Hand.”
“Smoke And Mirrors,” shows Purpose is not only lyrically impressive, but entertaining as composer and performer of the instrumental.
The “Last Great Kiss Of The 20th Century” cleverly takes advantage of the millennium. Since within the song itself they debate over when the millennium actually begins, it is a tune that can be aired next year. This song blends both the turn of the century with the turn of the vagabond into the true lover. Early in the song, the former tells the woman “I don’t often know what I’m doing next month.” A year later he has his arm ‘round her shoulder. Together they are pushing their infant in a carriage to the place where they were “part of some fireworks” the year before.
Looking at Darryl’s photo on the CD, I imagine that the “Child Of Hearts” line from a four-year old about a daddy “big and scary” could be about him, yet his more poetic and romantic pieces on the CD outweigh this image and suggest more of a large teddy bear. —Angela Page WJFF Radio |
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