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Sunday, 5 April, 2009 10:31 AM
CMA New Artist Spotlight: 'Dan
Evans'
Photo
by Gregg Roth
EMG
recording artist Dan Evans
| By
Bob Doerschuk |
| ©
2009 CMA Close Up News Service |
That notion inspired
this young singer/ songwriter to take a break from his budding musical
career in the Chicago area and sign up for the Spring 2008 season
of NBC-TV's "The Biggest Loser." Eighteen million viewers
followed him and his mother Jackie as they brought their lifelong
battles with obesity into the national spotlight.
That battle ended triumphantly,
with Evans trimming down from 310 to 174 pounds by the final episode.
With that, the season ended but another adventure began, as he went
to work on Goin' All Out, his EMG debut album, produced by Jim Kimball
and Russ DeSalvo and distributed by EMG Fontana and Universal Music
Group.
Having played guitar
since age 4, Evans flaunts a strong musical sensibility on these
11 tracks, four of which he co-wrote and all of which he sings with
a distinctive delivery. His smoky vocal timbre gives him an intimate,
conversational tone on quieter passages, and when he reaches into
his upper range, he summons a soulful, emphatic quality that's somewhat
reminiscent of Huey Lewis.
The title cut serves
as his first single. Written by Evans along with Kimball and Stephanie
Lewis, it has the kind of catchy melody and slamming rhythm fans
of Rascal Flatts and Keith Urban would appreciate. Add to that an
exuberance that surely comes in part from having beaten the odds
and scored an important personal victory on national television,
and it's clear that a little Evans goes a long way.
IN HIS OWN WORDS
DREAM DUET PARTNER
"Taylor Swift and/or Keith Urban."
INFLUENCES
"Keith Urban, Jason Aldean and Rascal Flatts."
HOMETOWN
"Frankfort, Ill."
BOOK ON YOUR NIGHTSTAND
"The War of Art, by Steven Pressfield."
ACTOR TO PLAY YOU
IN A BIOPIC
"Chris Farley for the first half and Brad Pitt for the second
half."
FAVORITE FOOD ON
TOUR
"Lean Pockets."
WORD OR PHRASE YOU
SAY OVER AND OVER
"Come on, with your come on."
SOMETHING WE'D NEVER
GUESS ABOUT YOU
"I'm extremely good at free-style rapping."
MODE OF TRANSPORTATION
YOU PREFER
"Passenger."
WHEN THEY LOOK BACK
ON YOUR LIFE IN 50 YEARS, WHAT YOU HOPE PEOPLE SAY ABOUT YOU
"He kept the weight off."
GREATEST SHORT- AND
LONG-TERM CHALLENGES
"Selling my records and keeping the weight off."
ITEMS YOU'D PUT IN
YOUR PERSONAL TIME CAPSULE FOR FUTURE ARTISTS AND AUDIENCES
"Keith Urban's Golden Road album, "Biggest Loser Season
5" DVDs, a ticket to Sturgis Motorcycle Rally and a Diet Coke."
WHAT YOU'D BE IF
YOU WEREN'T A MUSICAL ARTIST
"A summer camp counselor."
On the Web: www.danevansmusic.com
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