Denham, Val – “Dysphoria” – [Vanity Case]

humana   11/5/2013   A Library, CD

With a name like Dysphoria, which means “unease or dissatisfaction with life,” you might expect this to be a whiny release. No such thing. It is rather an honest telling of the facts of life according to Denham, a gifted artist and musician whose voice at first made me think of Alice Cooper but then took on its unique personality once I started really listening to the words. Each song has a story to tell, but it just lasts as long as it needs to and does not beat a dead horse. Almost like poetry set to music, Denham paints a musical self-portrait on these 2 CDs. Read sleeve notes for the song titles and glimpse this unusual peek into one artist’s soul.