Search - Dayna Manning :: Volume 1

A Jewel of a Singer

acnoth | Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada | 06/30/2001

(4 out of 5 stars)

"I fell in love with Dayna Manning when I first saw her playing in a campus bar that she wouldn't have been allowed in if she wasn't performing. She simply wowed the gathered crowd to the point that the headline act (I think it was Wide Mouth Mason) paled in comparison. Where Mason has gone on to considerable success, "Volume 1" remains the pinnacle for Manning. This is a shame, because several of the tracks on this CD are beautiful in their complicated simple style. "Simple Plan" is an example. The lyrics are unstintingly romantic, but the arrangement (is that a cello?) is deliciously precise. I loved "I Want" throughout for both the fact that it's a good listen and for its good humour. Lyrics like "I want to be of age to get into the bar" and "I want to be friends with Tom Petty" show a self-identifying mocking sense of humour that is rare in its insightfulness for one so young. The only difficulties with this CD are when Manning tries to pick it up a bit. Perhaps she needs to do so in order to avoid monotony, but her highlights are the more balladic tracks. She's remarkablty similar to the Alaskan lass of similar genre in this particular, but I'll take Manning every time, if only so as to avoid the overblown hype and to appreciate a naive young talent. It will be truly unfortunate if this remains her only CD release."

Wait no more

Travis Sexton | Ohio | 04/12/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I first heard Dayna's "I Want" on Lilith Fair I. I was surprised that a teen had written such an amazingly simple and beautiful song. I immediately ordered Volume I and the rest of her songs were just as great. I waited so long for something new and pretty much gave up hope, figuring she'd retired or something. I was so excited to learn she released a new CD in 2002! It is called Shades and sadly was not released in the US. But I learned from DaynaManning.com that I could buy it from a Canadian online media store called HMV. It's not cheap, but it's worth it. I got my CD today. It has a more "produced" sound than Volume I, but it's very good. Her voice is without the rawness; it's higher, purer, sweeter. There is a new version of "Walk on the Moon" which I like better that the original. Check it out folks! And if you don't have Volume I, what are you waiting for?!"