Silver Eyes

On his second solo disc, Silver Eyes, former Unrest drummer Phil Krauth continued to impress listeners with his simple, acoustic-based pop songs. From the start of the first track, "I'm Finding Me in You," Krauth's sound and vocal approach remind the listener of a relaxed and confident Brian Eno. The modest guitar and drum instrumentation add a simple backdrop to Krauth's calm singing and metaphor-laden lyrics. The lyrics are more straightforward and simple on tracks like "Gloomy Highways" and "Lonely," with accordian adding to the musical environment on "Lonely". Jeannine Durfee plays flute on "Between the Good and the Bad," a song with layered vocals from Krauth. The pace picks up on "True Believer" with a sampler and drum beats dancing over a synthesizer, and Krauth's vocal exercises taking a different approach. "Weary Eyes" and the title track, "Silver Eyes," check in on tracks eight and nine. "Weary Eyes" is a jangley, synthesizer-induced song, while the mood gets softer on "Silver Eyes". Krauth favors the wear-your-heart-on-your-sleeve song approach. Sometimes it seems to work effortlessly. At other times, he misses the target. The album closes with two solid songs, a serenade called "I'm Thinking of you Tonight" and "Confidant Serene," an ode to a friend, complete with the precise guitar strumming and thoughtful and wistful lyrics found throughout.