ROCKWiRED MAGAZiNE iNTERViEWS ViTAMiN-D

APRiL 14, 2010
BRiDGE TO SOMEWHERE
DENNiS CRONiN OF ViTAMiN-D TALKS TO ROCKWiRED
ABOUT THEiR LATEST LP BRiDGE
STRESSiNG NUANCE ABOVE HOOKS
AND GROWiNG AS A BAND
iNTERViEWED BY BRiAN LUSH
With the album ‘BRIDGE’, DENNIS CRONIN – the singer, trumpeter and songwriter for VITAMIN-D – proves himself to be an intelligent adult pop architect, building gently crafted pop songs from gentle melodies and complex emotions and observations. As the follow up to 2004’s ‘BUILD ANOTHER’, the title of VITAMIN-D’s latest effort seems to complete a sentence that took six years to complete. The first time around, CRONIN was pretty much the whole show with some drum loops programmed in for good measure. This time, VITAMIN-D has filled out in terms of sound and personnel which includes PETE GALUB on guitar, KONRAD MEISSNER on drums, CLARK WALLACE on bass and ADAM GOLD lending a hand with drums, guitar and vibraphone. The songs are not going to be remembered for their hooks but more for their subtle nuances and atmospheric tones. The opening track ‘KEEPER’ mysteriously opens with the sound of fingers tapping on a keyboard (computer not instrument) but that very effect lays the foundation for a bright yet delicate pop number that reaches it’s zenith with CRONIN’s equally delicate trumpet line. For the song ‘BARTLETT BRIDGE’ (one of three songs on the album with ‘BRIDGE’ in the title) CRONIN establishes the mood of this swaying ballad with a seductive trumpet riff. ‘SOLID DAY’ is punctuated by a somber bluesy bounce while ‘THE SUMMER CROSSING’ is a wistful piece that conjures up images of strolling through an opened field on a late Indian Summer afternoon. Holding these tales of whimsy, loss and delight together is CRONIN himself. We don’t come across many trumpeters in the pop stratosphere but if the general public can find something special in the whimsy and somberness of folks like NORAH JONES or DAMIEN O. RICE from time to time, hopefully they will make time for VITAMIN-D. (READ MORE)