Transparent Christian Magazine

Dave Pettigrew sings like a man on a mission. When I first listened to the New Jersey rocker’s new CD, “Every Minute Miracles” I noticed my mood (spirit) was elevated. Pettigrew’s vocal stylings remind me a bit of another New Jersey Native–Jon Bon Jovi. His sound has also been appropriately compared to Pat Monahan, of the very cool rock band Train.

The next thing that hit me was the musicianship, and the quality of the recording. I was listening to With My Faith through a set of headphones and the guitar intro was spinning from left to right…Pure ear candy!

The band is tight and doesn’t sound canned or bland. There are interesting and complex parts that compliment Dave’s outstanding vocals on every track, including unexpected breaks, timing changes and mixed instrumentation. The syncopated high-hat drum backdrop on God’s TV is an example of a subtle and important part of a song. As are the strings on Best That He Can Be, (5 real violins) some incredible sax solos, and the Hammond B3 sound on What Would I Do. There is also the wonderful use of harmony singers…As an example, the female vocal on All I Need Is You melts you like paraffin!

After some digging, I found out the studio folks aren’t necessarily the people he takes on the road with him, and all of his road guys are amazing too! I watched a video on Dave’s MySpace page from the Doorway Coffeehouse in Woodbridge, New Jersey, and was totally blown away by the guitar player . The slinger’s name is Paul Grassini, and he just shredded an acoustic guitar on the solo. Watch the video on Dave’s MySpace Page. Dave told me that Paul only played on one track on the cd. That’s when I started wondering about who else Dave knows. I was expecting another “A-List” musician when I heard the sax solo on All I Need, and when I checked it out, it was none other than Dave himself! (Solo starts at 3 minutes and 41 seconds).

The title track Change (Follow Me)is a jam, and sounds like a big hit–something you would hear on a Top 40 or Rock station.

Listen Here: [audio http://www.kbsweb.com/documents/change (follow me).mp3]

The melodies on “Every Minute Miracles” are STICKY! There is an instant familiarity with many of the songs and I found myself singing along on the first pass. Good songwriters could hunt for years and not have half of the sticky melodies that Dave has on this ONE CD. Because the melodies are such a core component of his song construction, I found the songs very satisfying even when they had a non-traditional and quirky theme like “God’s TV”
If my life’s a show on God’s TV, I wonder if it’s shot in color
Sometimes I feel so black and white. If you’re like me, you will find yourself singing along at the end “Thanks for tuning in tonight” Good luck hitting that smooth vibrato though!

Some other standouts on this cd are With My Faith and my current favorite All I Need is You.

Today I’m on fire
Tomorrow I might be ashes
I know, all I need is you.
Some days I ride the sunshine
Others lightening crashes
I know, all I need is you.

Later in the song he croons,

Sometimes I feel so weak, I feel like I should just let go
Then You pick me up, and breathe Your life into my soul
Still the question lingers, who am I supposed to be

Dave Pettigrew is supposed to be exactly who he is. An extremely talented singer, songwriter and musician, on a mission to elevate spirits and sing like God and his life depended on it!

You can support Dave’s ministry by purchasing his CD’s at his IndieHeaven site, or purchase individual songs. (So what are you waiting for?? Click HERE)

http://www.davepettigrew.net/
www.myspace.com/davepettigrew
http://www.indieheaven.com/artist_main.php?id=50805