DARYEL SELLERS’s new immersive release “The Lost Years” strikes a simplistic, sparse tone. The songs bear the skinniest layer of flesh—naked guitar with minimalist bass and drums. An almost-inaudible whisper of a tambourine may have caught my ear, but perhaps it was an auditory hallucination. The musical choices serve the songs well. The lyrics have the opportunity to be heard unencumbered by heady arrangements. Sellers paints bleak, pastoral landscapes, and imprints himself upon the listener’s consciousness as he gazes down a dirt road at the gathering ominous thunderhead.
Sellers, convinced of his own sincerity, delivers his vocals like a troubadour familiar with listeners rapt, sitting with chins in hands. He bares much. The songs feel autobiographical. His finest moments occur when he reaches for his more complex melodic ideas.
This album’s meat satiates with the dreamy “I Looked at You”, and subsequent “I’ll Carry That Load.” These songs mark the high point of this record. Sellers serves a dusty, lonesome mood. The result is a laid back, sleepy collection of endearing campfire songs.
With his initial release, Sellers shows promise as a songwriter. We hope to hear more players on his sophomore release. I personally look forward to hearing how Sellers translates this record to a live scenario. Sellers would do well to employ a solid country band for his live interpretation of “The Lost Years”. Check out this budding songwriter’s new record, and be sure to catch Daryel Sellers next time he plays live.
https://daryelsellers.bandcamp.com/album/the-lost-years
