Review #24 : Rory D’Lasnow

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Review #24

Artist: Rory D’Lasnow
Single: Never Be Mine

So Rory D’Lasnow is an emerging solo artist grabbing his music career by the nards. Not only has he been releasing his own music since 2011, he is now beginning to play gigs with a full band behind him and at larger venues such as New Jersey’s own, Debonair Music Hall. Oh and by the way, this guy plays upside down. Like he learned to play that way… and I thought math was hard.

Rory’s newest single, titled “Never Be Mine” was released on July 19th and it features vocals from the singer and guitarist of The Victory Drive, Jaime Mcclanahan. Jamie also happened to have produced and recorded the track at his personal studio, Audio Faktory.
This pop rock summer jam kicks off with what one might think is a surf rock type chord progression, and then suddenly it becomes this abrupt “f@#k you” guitar riff, that I wish we heard more of! While the lead guitar does carry throughout the track, it falls to the wayside of the song itself. And hey, I’m no fan of long solos or even showing off on guitar too, too much... but when I hear a good riff I want to let it have its time in the spotlight so that I can appreciate that
this thing frickin’ rips. 

I know many bassists out there that crave the attention of which I speak.
Moving on! One of D’Lasnow’s biggest selling points is his voice. He has a tonality that reminds me of singers from bands such as Nine Days, Spin Doctors, Matchbox 20, Default, and maybe even a little bit of O.A.R.. His smooth rock vocals definitely will be something he can really lean on when trying to draw in new fans with future releases. That said, he is no slouch with a pen.

If you ever get the chance to hear Rory play live, or the next time you listen to some of his material, pay attention to the lyrics. While most of his songs cover darker subject matters, they are deep, well thought out, and well structured pieces. Ironically, “Never Be Mine” is much lighter and brighter, this could be beneficial to many first time listeners trying to get into his music. That said, we will see how he adapts his other original songs on his upcoming recordings which will more likely than not be
full band arrangements as well.

So while we wait for more D’Lasnow jams, let’s keep this new single on repeat shall we!? However, once you do that and are itching for more, go check out the original version of “Never Be Mine”, alongside the other past recordings that Rory’s has made available on his Spotify page!

Ryan hanratty
Frosted Green Productions


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