Album Review: Hughes & Dixon – Songs for a Dupont Cafe

We don’t usually write about music that’s more than six months old, so featuring an album over two decades old is particularly rare for us. That said, when this music from Hughes and Dixon came through, we found it to be something we thought would resonate with our readers.

“Just 2 be with you” gets the album started with a soft, engaging acoustic guitar track. It lulls the listeners and has a thoughtful vocal element that connects right away. “Welcome” is an expressive acoustic song with a melancholy mood. The melody from the acoustic feels intentional and really pulls the listener into the emotions of the moment.

“Sum it up” has a similar acoustic guitar style to it, allowing the emotional lyrical delivery to shine through. The vocal has a lot of passion in it, sometimes making it so that the listener can feel the words more than hear them. There’s a speed to the melody on “Ride” that makes it feel light and buoyant. It feels like going on a ride in some ways. The lyric about looking out the window connects with the listener on what it’s like going for a ride.

“Under the Moon” has a bit more of a bluesy riff style to it, setting it apart from some of the more folksy elements on other songs on the album. The lyrical style is mature, giving a texture and depth to the song that makes it stand out from the others. “If Not Now Then When” has a mature, almost adult contemporary vibe to it. Bringing in other production elements, it feels more cinematic than other songs on the album.

There’s not really room in this brief review to address every track on the album, but they definitely feel congruous. I appreciate the easy going vibe, a bit more folksy on “So Far Down.” The fingerpicking on “Someone” is quite bright and accomplished. The final track “Odele my angel” is one of the best on the album with bright, clear fingerpicking and a clear sentimentality in the lyrics.

All told, this is an album for fans of acoustic singer songwriters in the mode of Cat Stevens or Jim Croce. It’s got a nice combination of classic folksy elements with an emotionally driven lyrical style.