Dennis Cronin learned musical subtlety out of necessity. Unable to master the high notes on his trumpet as a child, Cronin took his strengths, subtlety and a deliberate approach to melody and built upon them. Years later, Cronin continues to play to his strengths as the front man of Brooklyn’s Vitamin-D. Delivering mellow pop with classical and jazz influences, Vitamin-D has slowly built a quiet but devoted following and looks to broaden their influence with their sophomore album, Bridge.

Bridge opens with “Keeper”, a gentle but not timid pop song that features trumpet as a central instrumental voice. The song is fetching in subtle fashion. “Upstaged” is a mildly catchy rock tune that elicits thoughts of Tom Petty at his best. On “Astoria Bridge”, Vitamin-D gets a bit more guitar oriented; using trumpet to provide a distinctive counter-melody. Cronin and Vitamin-D stretch themselves a bit on “The Summer Crossing”, bringing a dose of esoteric beauty into the pop realm. Vitamin-D gets a bit more artistic on “Trumpet Moment 2”, a musical picture of a city neighborhood waking from sleep in the early hours of the morning around the incessant honking of a car alarm. Compositionally free-form, trumpet becomes both a percussive and lyric instrument in this one song. “Good Fit” is more of a solid, guitar-oriented pop tune, reminiscent of 54-40. “Beneficial Bridge” goes for more of a layered, ethereal-pop feel. Vitamin-D closes with William Schuman’s “George Washington Bridge”.

Vitamin-D proves that there’s always a market for something a little bit different in the world of music. Bridge follows gentle and shifting streams of pop music, infusing jazz and orchestral elements to create something bordering on unique. Bridge is a pleasant listen throughout. It’s not an overly challenging collection of songs, but Bridge is certain to please.

From WIldy's World
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