THE GRAET:
Eric's and Ian's voices have matured greatly, and Eric's vibrato has really improved. Wonderful male voices!!
"Forgive the Children We Once Were" is an outstanding song, very moving.
The short acoustic set in the middle of the audience was tons of fun and allowed us to hear their beautiful, un-amplified sound.
The Dancing in the Graveyard song is super catchy - just the type of stuff I want to hear.
THE NOT GRAET:
The volume was way too loud for the intimate space. I spent the first five songs cringing with every note instead of enjoying the music, until my ears finally went numb enough to actually hear their voices. Louder isn't better.
The girls sometimes sounded like they were straining. If the instruments weren't so loud, they could sing at a more comfortable, nuanced level and still be heard.
All the embellishments to "Holding on to Good" really detract from the poignant lyrics. The original, stripped down version is much more touching. Delta Rae needs to stop turning it's folk songs and ballads into rock songs, or they should just write boring lyrics that don't matter.
The song "Fire" is awful. I can't stand Ian's evil growls of death. What a poor choice for ending the show. If this is the direction DR is headed, I want to get off the train.
All in all, I think DR is an extremely talented band with outstanding lyrics and great harmonies. I just wish they knew who they were. I prefer the upbeat, folksy, harmony-driven version of the band, and am not so keen on the stress-inducing, intense rock version. But no one can deny their talent and creativity.