Gabe Dixon - One Spark

Gabe Dixon - Hailed as the 'the next great Pop Piano Man" by Paste, the Nashville singer/songwriter and former in-demand session player takes the stairs two at a time as he steps out on his first album as a bona fide solo artist...his first since his acclaimed and eponymous 2008 set, the new studio endeavor leaves his trusty traveling band behind for now...With his boyish sincerity still intact, Dixon ups the ante in producton scope with the help of knob twiddler Marshall Altman (Matt Nathanson, Marc Broussard) and some talented studio players...longtime admirer Alison Krauss guests on "Even The Rain" // Release: One Spark (August 23, Concord Music) // Sounds like: the pounded ivory influences of Billy and Elton (with a tad of Ben Folds) are deeply ingrained in Dixon's songs, an impressive mix of arena-sized pop pomp -- particularly on the rollicking lead single "My Favorite" (featured twice here at DC as Track and Video of the Day and a cowrite with Grammy winning songwriter Dan Wilson) as well as the gentle, gorgeously melodic piano ballads...

Quote: "I have always wanted to go out on my own and write songs and put them in different contexts other than just bass and drums...it's sort of a leap of faith but it also happened at a time when it needed to happen." // What we like: Dixon's habitation of the un-hipster irony-free zone is something of a breath of fresh air: angst and serious self-importance taking a back seat to studious, heart-on-sleeve pop craftsmanship on songs like the perfectly sculpted melody of "On A Day Just Like Today" or "Burn For You"...The Billy-Joel-ish album opener "Strike" sets the bold, brightly hued tone for the album, breakneck piano chording and insistent backbeat pushing, prodding things forward in a dizzying rush...

 

Gabe Dixon - "Strike" (from the album One Spark)

Gabe Dixon - "On A Day Just Like Today" (from the album One Spark)

Stream the entire One Spark album at the Gabe Dixon site...