Jeff Tuohy – Breaking Down The Silence / 2005 Self / 11 Tracks / http://www.jefftuohy.com / Reviewed 04 August 2006

Jeff Tuohy plays a brand of rock that will fit into the adult contemporary scene well. This means that when “Breaking Down the Silence” starts, the overall sound of the composition is something closer to Stephen Curtis Chapman than Slayer. “Unaware” is a track that also shows that Tuohy has a few Enrique Iglesias albums hidden away in eir collection. Don’t get me wrong, there are quite a few nods to rock music on this album but at the same time, there are a number of pop constructs. The one constant that is present on “Breaking Down The Silence” is that the instrumentation is absolutely absurd. Everything that is committed to disc is so rich that individuals will be taken aback.

Just take a track like “Doctor Thomas”, where each hit of the drums will tussle listener’s hair and the vocals of Tuohy will cause hearts to catch fire. Even throwing in some guitar work that would make Slash blush, Tuohy ensures that each track on “Breaking Down the Silence” is as impressive as it can possibly be. The rich instrumentation is not always needed, as Tuohy can make a compelling track with only an acoustic and eir own voice during songs like “Knock On Wood”. There is nothing too experimental with the songs on “Breaking Down the Silence”. What is revolutionary however is the skill in which Tuohy crafts each of the songs on the disc. In this age of singles-oriented albums, there is nary a misstep to be found. For example,

“Rob The Bank” is revolutionary not for any compositions that are present, but for the fact that Tuohy can add to the acoustic, adult rock of eir own a brand of seventies rock that touches about both Deep Purple and Rush. Each of the songs on “Breaking Down The Silence” could make it into rotation on practically any mix FM station. The only thing that Tuohy needs to do is spread eir gospel around the United States for a few more years and chances are good that ey could be the next John Maher or other of that ilk. This album is one that is a smart buy, as each of the songs push on a slightly different tradition than the rest. I have no doubt that future CDs released by Tuohy will continue this trend. Give this disc a go and you will not be disappointed.

Top Tracks: Knock on Wood, Serenade

Rating: 7.0/10

[JMcQ]