Loud on Earth

Daniel Cage has been quoted as saying that 1970s music has been a major source of inspiration for him; David Bowie, the Doobie Brothers, Neil Young, and Earth, Wind & Fire were among his favorites when he was growing up. Loud on Earth, the singer/songwriter's debut solo album, doesn't sound like any of those artists. This 2000 release is very late 1990s/early 2000s-sounding; no one will think that Cage's alternative pop/rock goes out of its way to be retro. Nonetheless, you can see that he did get certain things from his favorite 1970s artists — namely, a strong sense of melody and a desire to provide meaty, substantial lyrics. Some music from this period was known for its frivolous lyrics; people turned to Sweet, Kiss, KC & the Sunshine Band, or the Village People for escapist fun, not intense introspection or a desire to figure out the meaning of life. But escapism isn't the side of the 1970s that has affected Cage — a lot of rock and R&B did, in fact, strive for depth, and that is what Cage is going for on this CD. Many of his songs deal with finding meaning and purpose in life, and romantic relationships are one of the places to find those things. When Cage (who produced most of the material with Phil Nicolo) sings about romantic relationships, he isn't taking them lightly or being superficial — "Never Come Down" and "Only You," just to give two examples, are about the type of deep relationships that can give someone a sense of purpose in life. Loud on Earth is mildly uneven; some Cage tunes are stronger than others. But, overall, this CD leaves listeners with a favorable impression of the alternative pop/rocker.