It’s a bold statement. It isn’t a perfect album release, no such beast exists, but the unquestionable excellence of Torchlights is nonetheless clear. Covello builds the ten-track collection on consistent strengths that rarely flag. He discovers endless variations on that foundational template, and the subject matter is never facile. Covello writes and sings about matters of the heart with sincere conviction and an approach that’s certain to appeal to a broad array of listeners.
The Los Angeles-based singer/songwriter opens Torchlights with “Time Plays Us All”. Classical influences abound throughout the release, but the first track emphasizes that texture. String-fueled accompaniment complements Covello’s elegant piano playing. However, his vocals place a crowning touch on such performances. Covello fills “Time Plays Us All” with an unequivocal and open-hearted passion that never threatens to veer into melodrama.
Covello strips back the sound significantly for the album’s title cut. “Torchlight” hinges on near-hypnotic piano playing and a breathy, dramatic Covello vocal. Additional adornments are sparse during the song’s first half. “Torchlight” expands its scope past the midway point and eventually assumes the same grandeur that powers its predecessor. “Cry’n Eyes” initially puts more of a premium on intimacy. Covello weaves the song from leaner melodic cloth than the preceding tracks. Larger architecture announces itself as “Cry’n Eyes” progresses. He ends the performance on another impassioned dramatic note without sounding repetitious.
“Remember When” succeeds for a variety of reasons. One of its chief merits is how Covello constructs the arrangement around a recurring piano phrase. Building unpredictable hooks into the material is an overall strength of Torchlights’ songwriting, and “Remember When” is an outstanding example of that in action. Covello deserves praise for, yet again, deriving an unique flavor from the same formula. Finding multiple shades within a single color scheme isn’t easy. Covello’s songs for Torchlights make it sound as natural as breathing.
He hits a definite high point with “The Next Life”. Incorporating a full-band arrangement varies the album’s overall sound and creates opportunities for Covello to feature different dynamics. “The Next Life” has an engaging trajectory. The rising and falling attributes of the song’s arrangement are well-suited for Covello’s voice, and post-production effects, relatively common across Torchlights, never dampen or blunt its impact.
“Start to End”, the longest song on Torchlights, dials up the emotional intensity. One of the album’s key attractions is the way Covello and his collaborators orchestrate the running order of songs in such a way that an internal logic develops. Each song following the opener seems like a natural segue into the next. “Start to End” comes at a place in Torchlights’ track listing where we hear ourselves inexorably moving towards a crescendo, and the arrangement harnesses the full powerhouse potential of Covello’s songwriting.
Heather Savage