AJ Silverberg - Signal to Shine Bright

AJ Silverberg

Signal to Shine Bright
self-released; 2016

3.8 out of 5

​By Ted Rogen

Signal To Shine Bright has been a long time coming for AJ Silverberg. He has been working on Signal To Shine Bright for the last six years. He tapped the shoulder of Joe Chudyk (drums) to help out and the results are impressive.

I will admit it took me a little while to warm up to his vocal. He has a nasally, high-pitched voice that initially hit me the wrong way but eventually grew on me. The music is versatile and dynamic. He dabbles into everything from pop to rock to funk and even country.

He opens with “Am I Ever Coming Back.” After a marginal sample he breaks into a slight funky and chill vibe. The music itself is very easy to enjoy and submerge into. Some of the little things like accented vocal harmonies and soft atmospheric pads make a big difference. The attention to detail is a plus and I thought there were some inventive sounds overall.

“Feels Like Such A Long Time” has a country vibe intertwined with psychedelic sounding effects. In fact some of the ethereal sounds helped differentiate the song from sounding run of the mill. The harmonica playing was a highlight. 

“Colorado” opens with soft guitar playing. The verse itself feels soft and I liked the vocals here. Silverberg was a little bit more restrained and he didn’t force his voice. Good things. The song eventually gains some energy and Silverberg goes back into the more familiar sounding lead. 

“Still Got It” was a personal favorite. I was definitely into the funk on this song as well as his singing style. This is certainly a song that will be a crowd favorite. It’s a far cry from “Step Outside” which I can only describe as atmospheric sounding reggae. “What U Livin'” is a deep cut with a booming bass and alien like sounds while the closer “The Unusual Suspect” is a sleek sounding song that is one heck of a jam and reminded me of something you would hear on those relatively recent Ocean Eleven movies. Don’t miss this one. 

After taking in Signal To Shine Bright it is obvious Silverberg is talented. The fact that this album is mostly just him and not a full band speaks to his skill. Recommended.

official website

Tweet