Album Notes

The first musical foray by the songwriting duo of Zac Evans and Janna Graham is an ambitious one that’s belies their age, eighteen, with its maturity of musical concept. Their debut--- “Speech Therapy and Other Ways to Make Friends” --- attempts to push the boundaries of genre and takes the listener on a journey through the creative minds of two young people. The album fades in slowly with “Every Summer,” a song that sweetly touches on the duo’s romantic involvement. The opener sets the tone by deftly moving from alternative acoustic sounds, to straight-up bluegrass, and even touches on jazz with an unexpected, yet suiting, saxophone solo. The pair continues to move through varying creative ideas such as the electronica-inspired “Digital Taste Buds,” an acoustic instrumental duet “Man, Hat, and Beach,” and the Eastern world music inspired (and aptly titled) “India and Africa.” Some of the tunes do lean more towards the typical pop medium such as “Reception” and “Cereal Club,” but even the latter features an entire section of the song filled with the sounds of cereal being poured and eaten. One of the more remarkable things about the music is the actual number of musicians involved, which is three. Zac and Janna play every instrument featured on the record aside from bass, synthesizer, and some hand-percussion, which is played by the album’s producer Bill Graham. The duo expand upon their versatility and musical voracity when the album hits an experimental note with static-infused “Six” and “While You’re Away,” which gives off a sort of new age vibe. The record closes with the title track “Speech Therapy,” a soothing clarinet/piano duet. The two instruments fading into silence together is a final symbolic gesture, representing two people brought together, creating something challenging yet comforting, perplexing yet beautiful.