Caught in the Carousel

David Saw

By Alex Green

David Saw

"I can't walk backwards/And I can't slow down," sings English singer/songwriter David Saw. He's not kidding. Although he's about to release only his second album, Saw has already had a career wreathed with the kind of highlights that can crowd a CV pretty fast. He's had two of his songs covered by Carly Simon (including one he penned at sixteen), he played at the legendary Glastonbury festival, he's opened for such pop luminaries as Ray Davies, Squeeze's Chris Difford, and Carly Simon and his label (Iris) is owned by Simon and James Taylor's son Ben Taylor.

No slowing down, indeed.

David Saw

Armed with all of the melodic cadences and phrasing of Elvis Costello or a young Jackson Browne, Saw's sophomore effort Broken Down Figure is an engaging and stirring listen. There's a romance-mourning acoustic ballad ("Don't Call"), a catchy pop hustle about the death of the record store ("Buy My Record") and the gentle rock and sway of the title track, which finds Saw, in a moment of unabashed vulnerability confessing, "I don't want to be a broken down figure/Before the lights go out." Much to recommend of the album's ten tracks, but other notables are the quietly imploring "Come Down" and the buoyant and disarming "Someone's Gonna Love You," which finds Saw assuring, "Someone's gonna love you if you let them love you."

Graceful, wistful and altogether soothing, Broken Down Figure is an album of real warmth and wisdom.

Allow CITC to introduce you to the Aylesbury Ace:

David Saw

FULL NAME: David Reece Saw

NICKNAME: Dsizz

BAND MEMBERS: Larry Ciancia, Christopher Thomas (CT), Ben Taylor (solo Guitar)

HOMETOWN: Aylesbury

WEBSITE: myspace.com/davidsaw

RECORD LABEL: Iris Records

DESCRIBE YOUR SOUND IN ONE SENTENCE: Handsome.

PROUDEST PROFESSIONAL MOMENT: Carly Simon covering the first song I ever wrote.

STRANGEST PROFESSIONAL MOMENT: Playing for Bill and Hilary Clinton.

THE SONG YOU WISH THAT YOU'D WRITTEN: "She's Gone," by Ben Taylor.

THE SONG YOU'RE PROUD AS HELL THAT YOU DID WRITE: "All At Sea"

FIVE BEST BANDS TO EVER ROAM THE EARTH: The Beatles, The Stones, Led Zeppelin, The Band, Pink Floyd.

LIFE CHANGING MOMENT: A phone call from Mike Rowe. It was after my friend Lawrence hung himself. As you can understand, I was pretty broken up from this and I was doing nothing with my music at the time. Mikey put me forward for a gig and I got it. Everything from that point started going in the right direction. Kind of saved my life.

BEST ALBUM TO PLAY AFTER A BREAK-UP AND YOU'RE HOLDING A BOTTLE OF VODKA AND SOMETHING SHARP: Broken Down Figure - that's how I wrote most of it, ha-ha!

PERSONAL PHILOSOPHY: Quitting while you're ahead isn't the same as quitting.

Further Reading:
www.davidsawmusic.com
www.myspace.com/davidsaw

David Saw's Broken Down Figure is out now on Iris Records

David Saw
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