Dan Craig Band

Dan Craig Band's Alchemy opens with the sweet sounds of bowed instruments and mandolins, both of which carry the melody throughout his exploration of the deep, melancholy realms of a pop-country serenade. However, Craig's descriptive lyricism leaves the listener wondering if he's actually describing anything real.

In "Touch Is A Touch," the crooner sings about a lady who "smells of Russian chains, dragged through Mexican cocaine." Of course he doesn't know what that smells like. No one who ever snorted dust stopped to channel its odor, let alone combine the scent with chains taken out of a gulag. Craig is being cleverly illustrative while maintaining some sort of sensuality. And the sincerity of his raspy, mellow voice convinces you that you aren't being lied to—but you are, just in case you were wondering.

The moments of vigor in Alchemy are short, and you don't hear them until you're halfway through the record. He escapes his sappy, Tim Hardin style ballads with the vindictive, electric guitar in the biblical "Holy Moses." According to Craig, "the hope of freedom doesn't seem fair" since there's always been a "Pharaoh and Moses." Well, fair enough, Craig. But in the future, if you want to venture away from love stories into politics, please spare us the tiring lecture on the powerful elites and innocent idealists and grow a set.

Even with Craig's lackluster Bruce Springsteen moment, Alchemy is still a well-produced, easy listen. The diverse arrangements and smooth transitions between songs give color to an exploration of the genre's conventions. Just don't expect any profound insight from Denver's newly anointed tenor anytime soon.