Moyer releases new album, a cool glass of honesty

The album “Fresh Lemonade” is a drink served at a 25-cent-a-cup stand in the middle of the desert, quenching thirsty souls with bittersweet acoustics.

Tim Moyer seemingly speaks to his wife, Susan, when he says he sees her the same as the innocent days in the first song, “Exception.”

It’s the tempo of the song “Lazy,” combined with Tim’s confession of throwing it all over the floor – “What you see has always been there before” – that might make a person understand with unconditional love when someone is being brutally honest.

Tim is not Susan and never will be. But he is willing to compromise in “Back.” Just don’t leave him.

She does in “Home” and he can’t find his heart to save his own life, but she’s not gone long. Susan just went to get takeout.

Each song has a one-word title. There’s also “Heaven,” “Jesus” and “Amen.”

The song “Walk” brings the electric guitar into the mix, adding an angsty-vibe appropriately accompanying the one explicit word on the whole album that causes a “Parental Advisory” sticker to cover a tiny section of the art by Lucky Wright.

A band called Venice, coined “the Beatles of the Netherlands,” harmonizes backup vocals on a few tracks.

Tim and Susan have two sons. Ty, 19, plays bass and Shawn, 16, plays drums and percussion on the album.

The musical family is separated at the moment with Shawn up in San Francisco doing environmental work for Green Peace.

Tim sighed a little longing during a conversation at Stellar Cellar on May 29 between one of his solo acoustic performances, Susan doing backup vocals, saying his son is teaching him more about the environment than he’s learned his whole life.

But, Tim said, the family affair will be together again when they go on a 10-day tour through the Netherlands for a second time as the opening act for Venice.

Dave Owens, Jaron Eldon, Katie Shu, Lucky Wright, Donald Wade and Kristen Vogelsang also contribute to the album.

With acoustics like Dave Mathews but a more ethereal voice like Sufjan Stevens, Tim is someone Valley residents will want to experience either through this or previous albums and even more so in person.

In late June and early July, Tim can be found at The Edge, the new five-star restaurant in Old Town, as resident artist.

Review Author: E Jeff Einowski

Lyric Rating:

Lyric Comments:
Tim Moyer's lyrics are upbeat with a creative flow. While often sappy, they are always excellent.

My favorite songs from this album is called "Splendor." "I take a breath of you/ into my room/avoiding dinosaurs,/ I wedge a broom/ I amply sympathize with/ Benny and Joon./ Indulging in my lies/ of doing you/ Cause you know what haunts me/ and you know why/ You don't believe in your splendor makes me cry/ You never hear me or revel in your sky/ You would know what I know./ If you only knew you in my eyes./ Hey Mr. Telephone thank you for the tea/ and hiding images of her without me./I'll take a taxicab,/ let the meter run/ Over the bridge of fate and back to your island/.../I would fight the dinosaurs/I would snap the broom/ and I will always remind you/ your home is in my room/I would take the telephone and call Benny and Joon./ They would drive our taxicab/ and take us to the moon."

I'm partial to the Benny and Joon reference, but for good reason. Its part of a lyricists job to call upon memories to induce emotion, whether a movie, a song, a myth, or an universal experience. Tim Moyer does this beautifully.

Mix Rating:

Mix Comments:
This mix really shimmers. The vocals has just the right amount of expressive reverb to bring out the vocals. The guitar has a pure tone with minimal clicking and scratching. The backing vocals are in just the right place to emphasize the melody without detracting from it. Really beautiful.

In the liner notes, it explains that this album is called "Just Me" because it was performed, recorded, engineered and mixed by Tim Moyers in his home studio using Cubase SX.

Kudos to Tim for a truly professional job.

Music Rating:

Music Comments:
The music is of the rhythmic singer-songwriter verity. The guitar is mainly choral and a rhythm section in itself, giving Tim's impassioned vocals a great field of sound to fly over.

Good use of simple rhythmic insturments such as shakers and tambourines to keep the beat without imposing on the song itself.

Feel Rating:

Feel Comments:
At first listen I was skeptical that this was just another run of the mill singer songwriter, but Tim Moyer's "Just Me" will grow on you fast. Going onto my 5 Star mix in iTunes, holding a place next to Jude, J.P. Williams and the No Hit Wonders.