Reviews
Early Review of soon-to-be-released single, "There She Stood"
New Jersey singer/songwriter Daniel Leyes serves up the perfect love song, with "There She Stood." This endearing soft rock ballad features acoustic guitar and Fender Rhodes piano with light drums providing the backbeat, forming the ideal backdrop for Leyes' smooth and gentle vocal delivery that's reminiscent of some of the great folk troubadours of the 1970's. An exquisite electric guitar solo highlights a brief instrumental bridge in this charming arrangement, adding yet another engaging element for listeners to enjoy. Soft rock and adult contemporary fans will absolutely fall in love with Daniel Leyes' "There She Stood".
Fantastic opening lyric, draws the listener in straight away. Great folkie chord progression in both the verses and choruses. Guitar solo sounds amazing. Wonderful vocal performance, that vocal style is perfect for the genre. Exceptional lyrics and songwriting, should really connect with adult audiences. It's direct and to the point, sweet without feeling corny or over the top at all. Would make the perfect wedding song. Terrific bit of song craft, great job all around!
Definitely...get it ready for a full release. The arrangement has great bones, a compelling chord progression and great melodic content, as well as just being a fantastic wedding song. There's always a call for new wedding songs, not everyone wants to keep using "Wonderful Tonight"
About The Reviewer: Steven Azami is a multi-instrumentalist with over 25 years of experience in the music industry. Both as a touring/session player and as a producer, his career has spanned nearly every genre from bluegrass to jazz, from rock to reggae. In addition, his work as a music educator has allowed him to cultivate and foster talent among the next generation of musical explorers
Dan Leyes’ debut album “A Single Step” is about as fine a piece or work as any recording artist could deliver. I play the record regularly in my car and it’s been a pleasure to watch Dan perform songs from the album throughout Monmouth County, NJ. There is not a weak link on the album, but my particular favorites are the title track “A Single Step”, “I’ll Be Singing”, “Cannabis Blues”, and “Alone on Christmas Day”. All stir the emotions brilliantly and demonstrate what a quality songwriter Dan is. I look forward to his sophomore album. Hopefully the wait won’t be too long.
Bob Linton, Facebook Review
Waiting For Love
"Waiting for Love is a wonderful slow jam that blends blue-eyed soul, pop, R & B and soft rock, into a truly gorgeous song that will tug at heartstrings. This is an anthem, as well as a love letter to single people longing to find love. It's an ode to the hopeless romantic that feel forgotten by destiny. The melody is super dreamy and extremely catchy. I'm also really impressed by how these simple and minimalist lyrics can be so very pretty, as well as powerful here.
A lovely sentimental ballad. I found myself humming along, and had Waiting for Love's melody stuck in my head for days. Both Ms. Sahara Moon and Daniel Leyes convey emotion in their wonderful performances -- both individually and as a team. It's truly good stuff.
Ama Cruz, Radio Airplay
Better Than This
"Daniel Leyes offers a smooth and soulful Big Band sound in his intimate original recording, Better Than This! Blending bluesy guitar and bright horns with open vocals and sincere lyricism... the song is well-written and honest in a way that's deeply relatable - and the song's compositional structure reveals a deeply musical mind behind the sound. Really clever work, and fully impressive deliveries!
This is a really impressive piece of songwriting! Daniel Leyes' core sound is as genuine as they come - and the talent he shows for arranging frank lyrics against intricate, well-written parts and a killer swing groove stands to set him apart from other songwriters in a significant way!
Jon Wright
Home to You
Daniel Leyes has a gorgeous love song with Home to You. His voice is smooth and mellow, and the lyrics convey a story of lost love, backed with hopeful instrumentals. The introduction is somber, and the energy picks up as the band fills out the tune at the first chorus. The story is one we can all relate to, a song of regret and wanting a familiar sort of love. The form and flow of this song is clear and fitting, almost with a "running towards the front door" build up all the way to the end. I would love to hear this song on a warm summer evening at a festival with my girl, with not a care in the world.
Leyes and his band have produced a sound that is fresh and unique, while still calling on musical influences from the recent past. The vocals are smooth and in tune, delightful to listen to the whole time. The instrumentals are well balanced and mellow, creating an ever-hopeful feel. The flow of this piece is clearly thought out, as the scope of the song is zoomed out from the first verse to the second - the first is walking through a day, the second is broader spectrum. This follows the instrumental build during the song along with the second chorus being larger than the first, and all building to the end.
Rob Lawson