Dave Vargo

A native of East Brunswick, NJ, Dave Vargo started playing the guitar at the age of eight and by the age of 14 was performing throughout the Tri-State Area with various jazz, funk, and rock bands. He graduated from Berklee College of Music with honors and went on to become a touring sideman and session player. He has had the privilege of working with some notable talents including Whitney Houston, Phoebe Snow, Vonda Shepard, and Rupert Holmes.

Dave currently performs both solo and as part of an acoustic duo (Kim and Dave). He is also an active session player and songwriter. His debut album, Burning Through, is available now. Dave also has the affliction I like to call G.A.S.: Guitar Acquisition Syndrome. Some of the instruments he features on his recordings are a veritable smorgasbord of musical goodness. From his collection of Martin and Gibson acoustics to his Eric Johnson Signature Stratocaster and American vintage 1958 Telecaster, Dave has the excellent tools to make his music sing out with style, and that’s what we get on Burning Through.

Burning Through kicks things off with “Come Take Me Home.” Vargo plies his trade in the sounds of the classics. “Come Take Me Home” is a heady mix of new country and 1970s soft rock in the vein of Firefall or England Dan and John Ford Coley. Choruses are amazingly strong and stay with you for days as Vargo’s merry men (the band recording consists of Dave Vargo – guitars & vocals, Tim Pannella – drums and percussion, Erik Romero – bass and keys, and Kim Boyko – backing vocals) play integral parts to make this song the super country crossover I’m sure it will become. Vargo’s guitar work is simple and elegantly understated. Drums and bass work supplied by Panella and Romero are superbly grooved and nail this tune straight to the tarmac. Boyko and Vargo sing like they grew up together. Seamless and smooth, the vocals on this song glide into the listener’s mind without a problem. For the first song on a CD, I’m extremely impressed with the compositional style and quality. To me, this could be in any number of new country stations across the nation.

The next musical gem is “Good Enough.” Featuring a fat backbeat (courtesy of Pannella) “Good Enough” moves out of the gate with all the power of The James Gang or The Outlaws. Dirty electric guitars stick to the melody like crazy glue as Vargo sings his proverbial ass off. Vargo has a unique vocal style and reminds me of modern day heroes such as Chris Knight or Rod Picott. Once again the vocal assist of Kim Boyko is both vital and pleasant to the ears. Vargo has a classic sensibility when it comes to his writing, and that comes across like gangbusters on “Good Enough.” Another song that should do well on a variety of radio options.

“Choose” is up next. Vargo and crew switch things up with upbeat, mid-paced intro work before heading into their inspirational chorus. The band works as an active unit, each player delivering substantial contributions to the song as a whole. Dave’s guitar work is pentatonic; blues rock-based goodness. His lead is both frenetic and melodically sound, and I love the way he gets in and out before the next chorus. It’s also hooky as it supplies the song with its catchy piece of the pie.

The next tune is “Wishing On A Star.” Acoustic guitars roll on underneath Vargo’s raw vocal. Shakers add ambiance as Vargo sets up his verse work like a champ. More percussion joins the fray, supporting Dave’s lyrical hopes and dreams into the chorus. “Wishing On A Star” is yet another song that delivers classic rock sounds without tripping all over itself to stay relevant. I know Vargo has been around for some time, but this is the first time I’ve heard him and this song joins the previous tracks as pure gold.

“Finding My Way To You” is next into the speakers. Again Vargo kicks things off acoustically before drummer Tim Pannella leads the band into the song. Pannella’s skin work is thick and in the pocket, just the type of drummer any great rock band might want. He doesn’t overplay or take outlandish runs across the toms, and he just plays for the song and it’s great. He is joined by Erik Romero on bass, Romero is solid and complements Pannella perfectly. By the time Vargo comes in on electric guitar, the sound is all there. Dave utilizes volume swells and complex chord challenges as he sings with Boyko. His middle-eight lead break reminds me of original Lynyrd Skynyrd guitarist Ed King. King was an understated player who helped shape some of Skynyrd’s biggest hits, and Vargo has that haunting, dark and sparkly sound as well. Another strong song with a winning chorus to boot!

Dave and company move on with “Too Young To Be Broken.” Vargo steps into the dark undertones of broken dreams and promises from the past on this one. An acoustic lead break slashes into the piece with bronze-tinted glory as percussion shakes in the background. Verses melt into catchy choruses as the band marches to its own unique beat. Vargo is back with an acoustic guitar lead break in the middle eight, and it’s a simple foray into brilliance. While this song may have more of a minor feel than the rest so far, it’s a beautiful tune that should do well for Vargo’s career.

“Waiting” is another acoustic-based piece and it’s up next. Vargo’s voice reminds me of Darius Rucker on this one. Pannella skips along in the back, keeping hi-hat time and coming in with a shuffle as Romero joins him before Vargo zips in with a dark and melodic lead line before hitting the next verse. The guitar line is another great example of a hook as it complements the vocal perfectly.

Next up is “Right Now.” Vargo hits the guitar like Mark Knopfler on this one. Bass and drums pound as Vargo sings through his verses. This song reminds me of the glory days of Warren Zevon in tone and style. The lead work is canorous and precise, leaving plenty of room for the rhythm section to do their rock steady thing. While this may be more of a deep cut on this disc, it is still a great song.

I had to skip a couple of tunes due to space, but the final song is “Pieces Of My Heart.” This is a rock and roll song in the vein of Skynyrd’s “Sweet Home Alabama.” Bridges are more open than that classic, but the intros and verses remind me of that radiance. The choruses are powerful, super pushed blasts of original rock supplied by the band. Monster hits push this boisterous rocker into the stratosphere. A great job with an exceptional song.

I hope that Dave Vargo continues in this vein as it’s something I just don’t see enough of. In a scene filled with hokey, overplayed Americana and faux punk rock, it’s an exuberating experience to hear fresh takes on real classic sounds.

Vargo can be seen next at Novita in Metuchen, NJ on Nov. 10. For more information on Dave Vargo and his new disc, head over to davevargomusic.com to get the details.


Tags: david j vargo, john pfeiffer, shoreworld - The Aquarian Weekly

Dave Vargo

Burning Through

Review by G. W. Hill

This is a very accessible release. It's music lands mostly in the range of singer/songwriter stuff. The mix of rocking and mellower cuts is good. There isn't a bad song here. This is the kind of thing that should appeal to a wide range of music fans, really.





Track by Track Review

Come Take Me Home

This cut is built on an effective soft rock sound with a bit of soulful touch to it. The chorus is so classy and catchy. This is pop rock at its finest.


Good Enough
Stylistically this isn't a huge change. Instead it's another classy slab of pop music. There is quite a bit of Americana and even some country sewn into this tapestry. I suppose more than anything else, it's singer songwriter oriented.

Choose
There are some hints of jazz in the guitar sounds on this tune. The guitar soloing, though, brings more Americana. Overall, this is another classy number in the same general territory.

Wishing on a Star
This a mellow ballad that's quite accessible and effective.

Finding My Way To You
A bit more of a rocker, I really love the guitar solo mid-track on this cut.

Too Young To Be Broken
Another mellow tune, this is some great intricate acoustic guitar soloing here.

Waiting
Although this still lands in the slower, mellow side of things, it's a bit more powered up than the last couple tunes. It's another accessible number.

Right Now
A catchy melodic rocker, this is great stuff.

Twisted And Bent
Here we get another particularly mellow musical excursion.

Don't Think Twice
A bit more of a rocker, I like the bass line backing this tune quite a bit. It lends some magic. The whole song works really well, though. The instrumental section on this is very jazzy.

Pieces of My Heart
This rocker is one of the cooler cuts here. It has a lot of classic rock and perhaps even some progressive rock elements at play. - Music Street Journal

Dave Vargo – Burning Through

New Jersey singer-songwriter showcases strong songwriting skills on this very listenable debut. While a bit folksy, it also has a solid rock and roll vibe that separates it from many singer-songwriters these days. Dave’s voice has a deft feel for letting loose the proper emotions to fuel his thoughtful words. There is a nice blend of catchy and edgy here, with subtle eccentricities and just the right potency.

http://davevargomusic.com - Music Morsels

As a thank you for his recent release, Burning Through, Dave Vargo gives a nod to ‘the talented people who had a hand in making the guitars that got played on these tracks’. Dave gives a shout out to Martin Guitars for the acoustics on Burning Through and Gibson, Fender, and Duesenberg for the electric sounds on the album. Guitar makers have played a big part in the life of an East Coast kid as Dave Vargo took the lessons he learned growing up in East Brunswick, New Jersey, heading out to the tri-state area surrounding his home by age fourteen as part of Jazz, Funk, and Rock outfits. After graduating from Boston’s Berklee College of Music, Dave Vargo found gigs in the studio and on the road, backing a diverse group of artists that included Whitney Houston, Phoebe Snow, Vonda Shepard, and Rupert Holmes.

Dave Vargo is solo on Burning Through, his debut, as his guitar lights the way to a heart in “Finding My Way Back to You”. He gently plucks notes as he unveils youthful dreams with “Wishing on a Star”, spits out rapid fire words for the demands of “Choose”, strides in on assured strums for “Good Enough”, and quietly flicks the firefly notes that beckon in “Come Take Me Home”. Confident vocals walk beside an easy guitar style as Dave Vargo displays that talents that have given him a decades long day gig. Burning Through rolls on acoustic picking that sparkles against the inspiration found in “Too Young to Be Broken” as Folk music backs “Waiting” and the power of rock’n’roll helps “Right Now” stand tall while Dave Vargo whispers over equally hushed guitar notes for “Twisted and Bent”.

Listen and buy the vinyl of Dave Vargo from AMAZON or iTunes - Alternative Root Magazine

Dave Vargo is a veteran studio and touring musician. His resume is extremely impressive including backing Whitney Houston, Phoebe Snow and Vonda Shepard to name a few. He also went to school for music. This is a case of a guy who lives, eats and breathes music.

His recent release Burning Through is an extremely polished album with good songwriting. That being said he cradles all the tropes and familiarities we have heard so many times before in pop and rock. Some people like that and I actually do myself to some extent. It sometimes works very well and a good song is a good song. The songs feel broad and influenced from everything from John Cougar Mellencamp to ’90s rock.

I wanted a little more experimentation and out of the box thinking on this album. It would have been nice to hear Vargo get out of his comfort zone. The songs felt a bit safe and that very well may be what Vargo wants but with that comes the risk of your music getting lost into the ether of an oversaturated market.

I thought Vargo has a great voice and it was best showcased on the more melancholy songs. The first song that really stuck out to me was “Wishing On A Star.” The song has some exceptional guitar playing and Vargo nails the vocal delivery. He also pulls off upbeat and hopeful with “Finding My Way To You” which is such a commercially viable song because of the production.

“Too Young to be Broken” was similar to “Wishing On A Star” in that it was sparse and melancholy. This is again where I felt most connected to his music. As the album progressed “Waiting” and “Pieces of My Heart” were the other highlights to my ears.

​Vargo really does have a lot of talent as a musician. That's undeniable. At the end of the day this is still rock/pop music with more of a mainstream appeal. So if that's your cup of tea then this will be an album you won't want to miss.

official website - No more division

Dave Vargo - Burning Through


URL: http://davevargomusic.com/


Formula serves singer/songwriter Dave Vargo extraordinarily well on his first solo album Burning Through. Based out of the New Jersey area, he definitely cuts the album’s eleven songs in a meat and potatoes mold that eschews musical fireworks in favor of melodic virtues and emotional truth. It is the saving grace elevating Vargo’s performance over pre packaged fluff. There’s more though. He projects vast oceans of feeling with some vocals and his phrasing takes a distinctive approach that puts a figurative face to his finest moments. The production places his voice and the album’s instrumentation in equal prominence with one another and the result is an impressively unified sound that never sounds wayward or uninspired. Dave Vargo’s songs on Burning Through sound like the kind of material that’s waited a lifetime to emerge in this way and some of the songwriting on this release seems to reinforce that view.


A lot of that fire and chest-thumping energy comes across early. The first song “Come Take Me Home” makes its pleas for the audience’s attention without any pretense or wasted motion and should suck in anyone who hears it. It’s impressive to hear how well Vargo, as a composer, can bring together various elements of light and shade into a credible rock track while surrendering none of his substance as a lyricist. “Good Enough” is an effort of equal value. It move at a little more a slow burn than the opener and shares, arguably, more in common with the album’s later gestures towards rock music without indulging any of the guitar workouts. “Wishing on a Star” is an affecting personal-sounding piece about how our desires and dreams inspire us early and sustain us for years to come. “Finding My Way to You” is, easily, the most outwardly stirring moment on Burning Through and grabs the audience’s attention from the start. It’s never strident or too strong, however, and accomplishes much of its positive effects through another of Vargo’s uncomplicated and often heart clutching melodies. His lead guitar work shines quite brightly on this song.


“Right Now” will bring you more and more into its world with repeated listens. Burning Through is an album that makes a big deal about connecting with the listener, but closer inspection will reveal countless subtleties in these songs. This particular cut does a memorable job of balancing sensitivity with embodying some of the urgency suggested by its title while contrasting it with a comparatively restrained Vargo singing performance. “Twisted and Bent” is, easily, the album’s most naked musical performance, but he is more than up to the task and its storytelling values help the song stand out even more. “Don’t Think Twice” finds him branching out a little musically without ever going too far afield of the album’s mandate and the variations are welcome. Burning Through concludes with the fine “Pieces of My Heart” and its interesting rhythms and tempo changes aid Vargo in getting the lyric over with his audience. Formula is very recognizable here, but Vargo is never content with just reworking some common poses and pandering for our attention.


8 out of 10 stars


SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/djvargo


Dale Butcher - Indie Mindy

CD REVIEW: Burning Through by Dave Vargo

RJ Frometa 4 days ago CD Reviews Leave a comment 47 Views



Dave Vargo, a singer/songwriter from the New Jersey area, has paid his musical dues ably supporting a number of high profile performers. He’s taken the lessons learned working with those artists, coupled them with his own talent and experiences, and released an outstanding debut solo effort entitled Burning Through. The quality of this album will undoubtedly burnish his reputation far more and establishes him as one of the best singer/songwriters working on the indie scene today. He’s co-produced this album with his drummer Tim Pannella and each of the tracks pops and bristles with an impressive energy level despite its frequent acoustic nature. It is a deceptively simple sound to pursue, but avoiding cliché at this late date in popular music history is no mean feat and there isn’t a single formulaic or false moment on the release. Instead, Vargo takes recognizable formulas and transforms them with his unique blend of technique and faithfulness to his experiences. He proves himself to be an underrated vocalist as well and the added value his singing brings to these songs further distinguishes them from cookie cutter efforts in this genre.

The rollicking guitar charge of “Come Take Me Home” begins, like many of the songs on this album begin, as an acoustic singer/songwriter styled track. Vargo adds more musical elements to the arrangement as it progresses and the song ends as, arguably, the album’s hardest edged rock track. “Good Enough” sets the customary form for rock-infused tracks on Burning Through and, instead of the opener’s wild peaks, pursues a more consistent line of attack employing different dynamics, a light organ coloring in the background, and a greater focus on melody. The first and second songs set a decisive tone musically, but Vargo stamps his personality on listener’s initial introduction to his music. Though there’s nothing overtly bluesy about his voice, per se, he certainly invokes a weariness with his vocals that’s never too theatrical and exhibits enough range to make for musically pleasing fare. The same authentic, slightly ragged but right edge defining those first two songs continues with “Choose”, but it’s slightly assertive lyrical and musical edge is much more reminiscent of the opener.

“Wishing on a Star” uses percussion with sparing, but highly dramatic, effect. This is a song that, at risk of taking it a little too seriously, sounds like a personal testament about the importance of persisting with your dreams. One cannot help but hear this as a bit of self-reflection about the opportunities afforded by recording his first solo album. One of the album’s most remarkable marriages of vocal and music comes with the song “Finding My Way to You”. The seemingly simple, direct musical attack is made all the more amazing by Vargo’s lung-busting vocal. The early half of “Waiting” has a lyrical acoustic bent, but has a rolling quality when the drumming comes in that serves as a good counterpoint for the vocal melody.

“Right Now” has the same impetus implied by its title, but it never comes off as strident or premeditated. The base of all these songs, likely even in their demo form, is the acoustic guitar and Vargo builds from that base including contributions from his accompanying band. One might fear the formula gets older over the course of eleven songs, but even the traditional approach he takes on a song like “Right Now” pays off with surprising freshness. There’s almost a near reggae quality to the penultimate track “Don’t Think Twice”, but it certainly shouldn’t be labeled as such. “Don’t Think Twice”, in sound and form, is a minor surprise this late on the release and serves as a final reminder that Vargo is far from a limited composer. It’s these qualities, among many others, that helps set Burning Through apart as one of the best singer/songwriter releases of the new year.

AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Burning-Through-Dave-Vargo/dp/B01MEH5WUW


by Lance Wright - Vents Magazine

Dave Vargo – ‘Burning Through’

by Skope • January 26, 2017




Burning Through, the first solo album from Dave Vargo, a longtime live and session guitarist for artists as varied as Whitney Houston and Rupert Holmes, is an eleven song collection leaning more towards the acoustic side of the ledger but incorporating enough edginess and rock and roll attitude that it never sounds one note or limited. His songwriting skills are great enough that following a basic template over the course of the album’s running order nevertheless never makes these tracks sound dispiritingly alike. Instead, each track on Burning Through glows with its own character and Vargo shows enough engagement and vocal ability to spin them in their own distinctive directions. Despite his education at Boston’s prestigious Berklee College of Music, there isn’t a single moment on Burning Through that sounds academic and excessively premeditated. Instead, the songs on Burning Through roll out naturally and are sure to appeal to a wide audience.

URL: http://davevargomusic.com/

He begins the album in beguiling fashion. “Come Take Me Home” is a superbly constructed contrast escalating from a spartan acoustic opening into a full blown rock crescendo that’s bookended with an equally spartan ending. Vargo has a stylish emotive edge on his vocals and the restraint of a longtime, polished singer without ever possessing a technically excellent voice. He never aspires to the same rocky heights of the opener on the album’s second song “Good Enough”, but it crackles with a steadier simmer than the earlier track. The songwriting is quite clever without ever losing its accessibility. Drummer Tim Pannella provides great punctuation for Vargo’s sinewy lead guitar on “Choose” and the brisk musical energy beginning the song never abates or threatens to overwhelm the lyrics or vocal. “Finding My Way To You” smacks of a solid American heartland rocker with a melodic AOR sound and particularly impassioned singing. Vargo puts an exclamation point on its intensity with his brief, but fiery, soloing.

“Too Young to Be Broken” might send a shiver up your spine. It succeeds by any evaluation. If the lyrics are a purely imaginative exercise, Vargo has crafted an extraordinarily suggestive narrative. If it’s, instead, songwriting culling details from Vargo’s experience and turning them in a creative direction or else pure autobiography, it’s just as stunning of an achievement. The acoustic accompaniment is ideal for the song and glimmers with its own rich melodic flavor. “Right Now” is a strong mid-tempo roots rocker in the vein of the album’s earlier tracks and has a varied vocal melody that fits the track well. The urgency of the title is embodied well in the music. The loping, understated menace of “Don’t Think Twice” has a delicate vocal from Vargo that swings with just as much grace as the instruments. There’s great chemistry between Vargo and his backing band, particularly drummer Pannella, and this is likely the best example of that spark heard on the album.

Burning Through sounds like one of those moments when an intensely artistic voice, suppressed or un-credited for some time, gets a chance to step out of the shadows and erupt with a creative outburst. Dave Vargo sounds like the proverbial man unleashed, but his outburst doesn’t express itself with the hurried and frantic musical musings of the young. Instead, there’s a life affirming energy surrounding these songs reveling in our potential for experience and it is reflected in simple, but inspired, musical arrangements. This is a stirring success by any measure.

SOUNDCLOUD: https://soundcloud.com/djvargo

9 out of 10 stars.

Lydia Hillenburg - Skope Magazine

Dave Vargo – Burning Through

PRIMARY URL: http://davevargomusic.com/

The first solo album from in-demand session and touring guitarist Dave Vargo entitled Burning Through is constructed largely around the acoustic guitar. Many of the album’s eleven songs, however, spark with an intelligent rock and roll spirit reminiscent of certain influences, but ultimately coming from a very individual place using recognizable forms as a vehicle for his self-expression. He doesn’t have the sort of voice one might expect from a song collection with such melody and commercial potential, but he will quickly win over many listeners with its unvarnished qualities and the occasional go-for-broke attitude it assumes when things get particularly intense. This graduate of the Berklee College of Music in Boston and New Jersey native is working with a great backing vocalist, Kim Boyko, and a consistent band on each of the album’s cuts and this specific group of musicians sparkles with a chemistry that sounds like it’s been developed over some time.

Few songs illustrate it better than the opener. The experience or creative spark needed for a four piece to fluidly carry off the dynamics of “Come Take Me Home” is in full in evidence. Vargo, drummer/co-producer Tim Pannella, and bassist Erik Romero move from a hushed folky vibe into full blown blistering rock mode with finesse and a naturalness that’s impossible to fake. “Good Enough” continues in a similar way, but it opts for a much more straight-ahead approach to bringing rock elements into the song. It also drops in some colorful organ courtesy of bassist Erik Romero doubling on keys. “Wishing on a Star” is very similar, musically, to the later track “Too Young to be Broken”, but the vocal melodies and content differ a great deal. This is a song, literally, looking at the stars and Vargo is clearly recalling, in some fashion, how his childhood dreams have come true in a lot of respects. His emotive edge is so unfettered, so free from artifice, that it’s difficult to feel responsive to such a performance. “Finding My Way to You” has a much more vigorous tempo with low-key variations strewn throughout the arrangement and Vargo’s lead guitar work steps out here like never before on the album while his singing with Boyko provides listener’s with Burning Through’s most affecting emotional moment.

The aforementioned “Too Young to Be Broken” is next and it’s much more of a character piece than any of the previous songs. Vargo’s opportunity to show off his storytelling skills gets more than a merely adequate musical vehicle – the melancholy guitar playing sets a tone that Pannella’s muted percussion further shapes. “Waiting” is a largely solo piece, but it takes on an interesting near shuffle pace when the drumming briefly enters for a time. This is a song that never stops moving, embodying its title in some ways, but Vargo lets his vocal hang back and once again does everything to serve the song as a whole. He does indulge himself with a solo take on one of the album’s late tracks “Twisted and Bent”. It isn’t disappointing at all and listeners will be hard pressed to not admire his bravery for such a vulnerable performance. Burning Through connects harder on some songs than others, but Burning Through is a consistently entertaining release throughout.

8 out of 10 stars

SPOTIFY: https://play.spotify.com/album/42MQwFMTiQd5cYozxSGXDs?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open

William Elgin - Gashouse Radio

Dave Vargo – Burning Through

URL: http://davevargomusic.com/

If you like roots rock songwriters or intelligent AOR fare from the late eighties, early nineties, Dave Vargo will likely be a good score for you. His debut Burning Through is a spectacularly well conceived collection for this New Jersey native and longtime in-demand session guitarist. While he proves to be every bit as much of a talented songwriter as he is a performing musician, Vargo likewise exhibits a profoundly sharp instinct for picking the right collaborators. The five star musicians accompanying him on Burning Through help him harness a variety of sounds and approaches to record quite a formidable first album. Burning Through certainly has a strong commercial edge, as mentioned earlier, but Vargo never aims for the mainstream shorn of artistic credibility. Instead, Burning Through stands as an impassioned statement from a performer who is ready to be heard after a long time.





One of the album’s best rock and roll songs hits you straight out of the gate. “Come Take Me Home” kicks off as an acoustic track, but listeners soon get an inkling of Vargo’s intentions as it steadily gains power along the way before finally exploding with fiery guitars. He backs off the rock and roll a little for the album’s second song, “Good Enough”, and opts instead for a steadier sound complete with some nice organ fills dropping in at key points. Every song on Burning Through opens with his acoustic guitar work and they all expand from that point in varying degrees. “Choose”, however, has strong drumming joining the guitar from the outset and there’s some clean electric guitar soon augmenting things. The chorus is carefully to not get excessively strident and, after the band’s first pass, the electric guitar steps out a little more with biting fills. Backing vocalist Kim Boyko supports Vargo with excellent results on the chorus and bridge. The album hits one of its rousing high notes with “Finding My Way to You” and this effect comes two fold – first is Vargo’s exuberant singing that is streaked with blue, but yet indefatigable and passionate. The second is the combined attack of acoustic and electric guitar who set a pace spiked with some well timed peaks.

“Too Young to Be Broken” is, arguably, the album’s most bare bones number and it’s well suited for this distinction. The lyrics are some of the best on Burning Through and depicts its subject matter with a dramatic touch that never risks being overwrought. The moderately uptempo step of the song “Right Now” is carried further aloft by Vargo’s most melodic lead guitar playing on this release. He’s got the vocal firepower to take full advantage of the moment, as well, and vividly conveys the song’s message. “Twisted and Bent” joins the earlier “Too Young to Be Broken” as among the album’s sparsest musical narratives and Vargo delivers an aching, heartfelt vocal that more than substitutes for any lack of musical pyrotechnics. The infectious swing of “Don’t Think Twice” never sounds too affected and strikes a different musical note than many of the earlier tracks. His performances and songwriting reach an universally high quality on Burning Through and this release should elevate his profile as one of the best indie songwriters working today.

9 out of 10 stars

SPOTIFY: https://play.spotify.com/album/42MQwFMTiQd5cYozxSGXDs?play=true&utm_source=open.spotify.com&utm_medium=open

Scott Wigley - Indie Music Reviews

Dave Vargo – Burning Through

URL: http://davevargomusic.com/

Dave Vargo has plied his trade as a first rate guitarist for a number of years for performers as diverse as Rupert Holmes, Vonda Shepherd, and Whitney Houston before finally releasing his first solo effort entitled Burning Through. This collection reveals Vargo as a songwriter and vocalist of enormous skill and gratifying depth capable, nonetheless, of creating achingly sincere material that’s completely accessible to a wide audience. These are songs full of melody and emotional substance. Vargo has recruited a fantastic backing band that accompanies him on each of the album’s eleven tracks and they deliver a performance that’s often subtle and, yet, packs a tangible musical wallop. The collection leans heavily in the favor of semi-folkie, mid tempo acoustic musings, but there’s a surprising amount of rock and roll spirit invigorating a significant sampling of these tracks and Vargo proves quite adept at tackling these styles as both a guitarist and vocalist.







“Come Take Me Home” is a stunning rocker that doesn’t initially reveal its intentions. Instead, “Come Take Me Home” starts off life as a patient, if not deliberate, mid tempo bit of acoustic songwriting that accumulates greater and greater sonic force as it develops. Vargo does a fantastic job orchestrating the dynamics of this track and his fellow musicians are with him every step of the way. There’s some small surprises in store for listeners on the album’s second track “Good Enough” thanks to the introduction of some discreet organ lines supporting the acoustic and electric guitars. Vargo, with rare exceptions, uses the guitar in a compositional way and it’s doubly impressive to hear someone with the instrumental chops to dominate a recording rein that talent in, instead, and focus it in a different way. There’s no question Vargo could use his instrumental expertise to overtake these songs, but it’s clear that it’s the songs where his primary focus and interest lies. “Wishing on a Star” begins with appealing lyrical guitar combing chords with lilting gracefulness. The plaintive quality of Vargo’s voice has a rough-hewn yearning on this song and really gains added emphasis when the song’s tasteful drumming comes in. There’s a much more forceful vibe present in the opening of “Finding My Way to You” that expands into a vital, upbeat rock number where Vargo’s lead guitar takes one of its few turns in the spotlight. He never plays any extended solos that might upset the song’s great balance, but he accents the song’s brief shifts of tempo with warm, cascading flurries of notes highlighting these moments.

There’s some light dynamics utilized in “Waiting” that sets it cut above the standard acoustic fare. The rolling drum patterns are understated and extraordinarily effective for providing a little extra urgency to the song. Vargo’s guitar work returns to familiar territory here with its light touch providing a lot of atmosphere without ever announcing itself too loudly. A lot of the material on Burning Through looks to establish a certain emotional mood and always does so in musically substantive ways. The album ends with the great one two punch of “Don’t Think Twice” and “Pieces of my Heart”. The first track has a surprising amount of swing separating it from the other songs on Burning Through and an exceedingly stylish vocal from Vargo. The album’s final track “Pieces of My Heart” has a churning roll to its arrangement that Vargo capitalizes on for some pleasantly explosive peaks. It’s a great, even-tempered closer for Burning Through. This is an album that, despite its indie status, deserves to fall on everyone’s radar and might constitute a pretty solid bid for mainstream recognition as well.

9 out of 10 stars.

I-TUNES: https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/burning-through/id1166701425

Joshua Stryde - Band Blurb

East Brunswick, New Jersey, native Dave Vargo has been playing the guitar since the age of eight, and performing in front of live audiences since he was fourteen. It shows.

A student of jazz, funk, and rock, he even graduated from the Berklee College of Music—with honors. This may have had something to do with his successful career as a touring sideman and session player where he’s worked with a number of big names including the late Whitney Houston.

Along with songwriting and session playing, Dave also performs in Kim and Dave, an acoustic duo with Kim Boyko, as well as maintaining his own solo work. Surprisingly, despite his years of faithful service to the craft of music, Dave’s latest album, Burning Through, is also his solo debut! We think you’ll find it was worth the wait.

Here’s what we dug most…




Opening with Come Take Me Home, a strong piece of songwriting, performance and production, Dave’s veteran status as a music-maker becomes immediately evident. His hybrid finger-picking creates a pretty and easy-going melody-line that any musician knows is far more difficult to perform than it sounds, (particularly while singing). Much respect.

The story, composition and vocals on Good Enough reminded me immediately of mid-late 90’s era Goo Goo Dolls. The song is a classic bit of nostalgic rock & roll. While listening, I found myself wondering why it wasn’t all over the radio…perhaps one day soon…

“Are you strong enough to take the long way back?
All those ghosts tide up and laid across your track
You’ve been gone too long, so how to reconstruct
Faded memories you wonder was it ever…good enough?”

Placed in the dead-center of the album, one discovers the acoustic-themed, electric-backed hymn of delightful regret, Finding My Way To You. Lyrically, it’s universally relatable. Musically, it’s just a splendid example of textbook, radio-ready rock & roll.

“Lonely days and nights, I’ve had more than my fare share
Down so long, I was almost beyond repair
I should have been…findin’ my way to you”

Our Favorite Track:
A beautifully tragic piece lamenting on the passage of time, Waiting’s opening acoustic chords have a Simon and Garfunkel-esque quality. Vocals and guitar expand gently to include light and tasteful percussion, and just a few electric notes. It’s a flat-out lovely song.

Okay, transparency time: Burning Through continually impressed me to the point of being surprised. (This doesn’t happen very often.) I’m not really sure what I was expecting, but the point is this: As far as I’m concerned, Burning Through serves as a blueprint for budding musicians and songwriters everywhere on how to create a really solid, radio-ready, soft-rock album. From the writing and composition, to the vocals and instrumentation, to the mixing and production—the album is absolutely tight. In particular, if you love that slightly melancholy, mid-to-late 90’s stuff, you’re going to really enjoy this album. Nice work, Dave.

Whose lovechild…?
Ryan Adams makes a record with Goo Goo Dolls. - The Ark of Music

Dave Vargo - Burning Through


URL: http://davevargomusic.com/


It’s a safe assumption to make we won’t hear too many solo debuts with this kind of quality in 2017. Dave Vargo’s Burning Through more than lives up to its title – Vargo sounds like a man unleashed on a lot of the release’s songs and all of them will leave you feeling like they came from a performer emboldened by the feeling he has something important to say. It’s never delivered in a heavy handed or arrogant way however. The songs often soar on strong, uncomplicated melodies and neither Vargo nor any of his collaborators are intent on seizing the production spotlight. Instead, this album features a songwriter and his supporting group intent on making the most of these compositions are fully developed artistic experiences rather than just springboards for the performers to show off their chops. He also co-handles the album’s production chores and it has a radio-ready sound that balances everything out without ever sacrificing feel and authenticity.


Those elements really come together on Burning Through’s first song “Come Take Me Home”. It’s orchestrated with great skill and climbs inexorably from its tempered acoustic beginnings into a full on rock track before subsiding near its conclusion. This is the sort of unity that, when you hear it, percolates with an effortless that novices expect to be easily imitated, but experienced music devotees will recognize that few songs ever reach the level of this. It’s an immensely energetic start that Vargo only pulls back on the reins a little with the second track “Good Enough”. He mixes things up a little more by adding the sound of Erik Romero’s organ playing and it tightly locks in with the song’s sound and emotional tenor. Another key to the success of these songs is their refusal to misstep. Vargo and his band mates keep things moving and never toss in an extra note or word to their presentations. Everything is pared down to its essential parts.


“Choose” has a brisk tempo and a seemingly personal lyric that Vargo doesn’t over-emphasize and some tense, muscular guitar lines that give the song a dollop of extra bite. “Finding My Way to You” is one of Burning Through’s peak moments thanks to its rousing spirit and the uninhibited, yet immensely talented performances from both Vargo and backing vocalist Kim Boyko. The song “Too Young to Broken” is peppered with some light percussion to further flesh out Vargo’s acoustic guitar playing and his voice reaches new heights relating an arguably darker lyric than anything preceding or following it. The sensitivity of his phrasing really brings the lyric to further life. “Right Now” comes at a great place in the album’s running order, near the end, and provides an energetic shot in the arm for Vargo’s figurative victory lap, but it pales next to what follows. “Don’t Think Twice” has an exceptionally ingenious musical arrangement with a wide, loose swing and the players remain on point throughout to hold that feel together. Vargo’s singing, likewise, bobs and weaves around the instruments in an uniquely sympathetic way. The album’s final cut, “Pieces of My Heart”, is another of Burning Through’s songs that sound personal without ever being obscure or uncomfortable and he makes another wise decision fixing relatively downbeat or serious lyrics to such appealing musical landscapes. This is one of 2017’s early gems and few fans of the singer/songwriter or Americana genres will be disappointed.


8 out of 10 stars.


CD UNIVERSE: http://www.cduniverse.com/productinfo.asp?pid=10567454


Montey Zike - Razorfish

Dave Vargo - Burning Through


Primary URL: http://davevargomusic.com/


A New Jersey native who has played with and alongside some of the pre-eminent musical talents of our time, Dave Vargo’s full length album debut Burning Through is truly a personal effort. His skills as a guitarist helped make him one of the most in-demand live and studio musicians around, but the eleven songs on Burning Through offer vivid evidence of Vargo’s songwriting talents. He also shares production duties on the album with drummer and percussionist Tim Pannella and surrounds himself with steady cadre of talented musicians who help him bring these songs to life. The songs are often atmospheric, but never garishly, and well balanced between electric and acoustic textures. Vargo’s first solo album is obviously the product of years playing with some of the best musicians in the world, but nothing here feels too studied or lacks the sort of verve one might expect from someone’s debut.




Burning Through opens with “Come Take Me Home”. The song is built around acoustic guitar ornamented with tasteful electric guitar touches and builds incrementally. Everything here is nicely balanced and the disparate sonic elements flawlessly dovetail into one another. Vargo’s voice is warm and patience, emotive without ever lapsing into histrionics and it enlivens the obvious sincerity of the sometimes painfully earnest lyrical content. “Good Enough” amps up the rock and roll side of Vargo’s musical character without venturing too far afield of the template laid down on the opener. His voice isn’t classically beautiful by any measure, but it has enormous appeal and listeners will trust it immediately. The smoky, weathered quality of his tone helps put over these lyrics about hard-won wisdom without any theatricality – it’s just unvarnished honesty coming through and his band members ably conspire to turn this into one of Burning Through’s most propulsive tracks.




Outside of some ghostly electric guitar fills swelling from the mix, “Wishing on a Star” is a beautifully lyrical acoustic guitar piece about an individual’s dreams. Vargo and backing vocalist Kim Boyko bring their voices together in a very entertaining fashion on the song “Finding My Way To You” and, despite the primarily acoustic nature of this performance, it has some of the same propulsive energy we heard in the earlier “Good Enough” and perfectly measured organ fills from bassist and keyboardist Erik Romero. Vargo’s songwriting frequently tackles weighty themes, but “Too Young To Be Broken” is one of the most heartbreaking moments on the album and the amount of sheer empathy pouring out of Vargo’s performance will undoubtedly affect many listeners. It is, once again, a primarily acoustic outing that Vargo adorns with some understated percussion and occasional haunting electric guitar fills. Tim Pannella’s drumming sets an interesting quasi-march tempo for “Waiting” that complements the vocal melody and the acoustic guitar work, as always on this release, shimmers with tremendous evocative quality.




Burning Through concludes with “Pieces of My Heart”, another illustration of the value Pannella’s drumming brings to the material on this debut. His rolling tempo is a perfect fit for Vargo’s guitar work and Vargo brings equal parts assertiveness and sensitivity to the vocal. There’s a lot of clearly singer/songwriter oriented material on this album, but there’s an irrepressible rock and roll spirit peeking out from many of the arrangements that gives it a welcome added bite. Dave Vargo’s turn in the spotlight is a rewarding listen for any serious music fan.




9 out of 10 stars




AMAZON: https://www.amazon.com/Burning-Through-Dave-Vargo/dp/B01MEH5WUW




Jason Hillenburg - Pangea Media Group

Dave Vargo - Burning Through


URL: http://davevargomusic.com/


Dave Vargo has stepped out of the studio and sideman shadows to compile his first album of all original songwriting named Burning Through. This collection has some rock fire, but it’s largely a singer/songwriter’s work with a lot of seemingly personal material and some of Vargo’s storytelling talents on display. Rather than following an expected A-B-C level of directness, Vargo often spins some of the songs in unpredictable directions with imaginative arrangements and tempos that are enough outside the box to strike an individual note. He works with the same small group of musicians on each of the songs and this decision gives the tracks a coherency of sound and approach that brings the album together in an equally unique way. More often than not, collections of this ilk are laden with a variety of guest stars, but Vargo is clearly aiming for a band experience and achieves it in a memorable way.


“Come Take Me Home” introduces us to his memorably personal style as a lyricist. The songs on Burning Through sound like they are taken from his everyday life, but the real art in Vargo’s writing comes from his ability to take those personal details and recast them in an universal light. There isn’t a single song on Burning Through that isn’t completely relatable. “Good Enough” is equally personal, albeit with a slightly different tone, and the musical arrangement foregoes the rock theatrics of the opener in favor of a much more balanced approach. “Choose” continues the serious themes of the first two songs with a track about someone reaching a turning point in their lives, but he doesn’t pose this scenario with an overly melodramatic musical arrangement. Instead, everything is handled subtly, tastefully, and it’s apparent the notes that Vargo and his cohorts don’t play are just as important as what they do play. It hits on a strong Midwestern rock vibe without ever sounding hokey.


“Wishing on a Star” could be said to be one of Burning Through’s most personal songs. It’s hard to distinguish, with the best writers, the difference between a purely imaginative act and something that has a flesh and blood connection, but this song is certainly suggestive of the young Vargo and his dreams of future music stardom. “Finding My Way to You” has Vargo joined by backing singer Kim Boyko and their voices blend satisfyingly on one of the album’s most emotive tracks. “Waiting” has a largely acoustic slant but the vehemence of Vargo’s vocal and the hints of chaotic electric guitar buried in the mix give this a little bit of a darker hue than many of the album’s lo-fi efforts. “Don’t Think Twice” has a melody and tempo that’s hard to forget and ranks among the album’s best moments. Vargo and the band alike shine here thanks to the effortless way they make this work. “Pieces of my Heart” is a little bit more in line with the earlier tracks in terms of style, but it has some interesting percussion and finishes the album on an appropriately thematic note. Burning Through is an impressive and indelible release that should establish Dave Vargo as a formidable songwriting talent.


9 out of 10 stars


ALLMUSIC: http://www.allmusic.com/album/burning-through-mw0003006643


Bradley Johnson - Valhalla Music Blog

(Burning Through), The title of Dave Vargo’s debut solo album can be read as a reference to undiminished desire. Despite a long musical career backing a variety of high profile mainstream artists, Dave Vargo was never content simply collecting a nice paycheck and serving the musical ends of others. He earned much appreciation and financial compensation for those efforts, undoubtedly, but the desire within to pursue his own artistic ends glowed brightly within him and only intensified over the passing years.

There’s definitely a feeling listening to this album that Dave Vargo had to write and record it. He had no choice. These songs are, without question, lightly fictionalized tales about his own experiences and those he’s collected long the way and the wrenching sincerity he uses to communicate the story and message behind each song clearly points to how important this release is to him. It’s truly a labor of love.

Some will accuse of it of lacking variety. There’s some merit to the argument if you hear the album in a certain narrow way. Vargo begins each song with acoustic guitar and it’s obvious early on that Burning Through, thanks in part to this feature and others like it, has a deliberate design. The acoustic, bass, and percussion are dominant instruments on this album. There’s a lot of electric guitar as well, but Vargo uses it in a very artful fashion and his lead work has a wiry, melodic sound that’s quite distinctive.

Vargo shows flashes of his brilliance in this area throughout Burning Through, but never attempts dominating any particular song. Come Take Me Home, Good Enough, Choose, Finding My Way to You, and Right Now all feature examples of Vargo’s guitar excellence in varying degrees and fashions.

The opener, Come Take Me Home is likely the album’s showcase moment for rock theatrics and builds from a muted, considered beginning into a furious rock track before subsiding at its finale.

Good Enough and Finding My Way Back to You both deserve deeper listens. The former has a great traditional rock vibe and never gets too rambunctious for its own good. Moreover, there’s some imaginative organ fills adding a lot to the song. The latter track has an epic, profoundly moving vocal from Vargo that lifts an otherwise unremarkable mid-tempo roots rocker.

Some of the album’s most sensitive moments, like the aforementioned song, are likewise its most effective moments. Too Young to be Broken is a decidedly mournful, minor key effort. There’s a strong characterization anchoring its lyric, Vargo gives it a gentle vocal treatment full of nuance, and the guitar accompaniment is lyrical without ever overstating itself.

The album’s final song Pieces of My Heart revisits some of the same rock and roll tendencies that surfaced during the album’s first half and the contrasting sections fit together quite well. It’s a suitably rousing conclusion for an album that certainly risks formula, but that ultimately succeeds thanks to the singular voice behind these performances and songs.

8 out of 10 stars - Indie Music Review

Dave Vargo Burning Through Self Release

This excellent musician graduated from Berklee College of Music in Boston and went on to forge a very successful career as a touring artist and session player. He has worked with a number headline artists including Whitney Houston, Phoebe Snow and Vonda Shepard, but his talents as a songwriter have only been given the spotlight on this, his debut release as a solo performer.

The eleven songs are written by Dave and co-produced with drummer Tim Pannella. Erik Romero plays bass and keys with Kim Boyko on backing vocas. The arrangements are all very impressive with fluid playing and a bright feel to the melody and rhythm. The commercial sound is perfectly captured on the opening song Come Take Me Home and the fluid guitar playing of Finding My Way to You, which captures a Hootie & the Blowfish vibe.

Too Young To Be Broken slows things down with gentle acoustic guitar and a lyric about broken dreams and disillusionment. Waiting runs along similar reflective lines with a wistful look back at the past and regrets over choices made. The expressive vocals of Varo are perfectly complimented by the support cast and Don’t Think Twice is a fine example of the band in full unison and playing with a relaxed and loose tempo. Final track, Pieces of my Heart, is an up-tempo ending to what is a very strong debut release and one that comes highly recommended
Paul McGee - Lonesome Highway/ Paul McGee

Burning Through is a beautiful collection of songs from a notably sincere singer and songwriter. The album begins with a song entitled Come Take Me Home, one that opens up initially as a gentle and heartfelt acoustic folk song, soon erupting into a much bigger, brighter sounding track with an overwhelming warmth and a brilliantly satisfying hook section. The instrumentation featured on this and throughout the project is both simplistic yet flawlessly appropriate with every moment that passes. Each riff, each note, each melody, each build up and break down – all of this has been placed with care, and it makes for a reliable and calming listening experience.

Dave Vargo’s songwriting is ever impressive; the structure of these songs, the creativity of the melodies, the poetry and the imagery within his lyrics. On top of this he has this beautifully unique singing voice, this emotionally loaded yet somehow effortless sounding voice, one that carries these melodies and these ideas with absolute grace and an equal measure of grit. Good Enough showcases the strength of this leading vocal really well. The melody moves the voice from the lower end of the spectrum right up the high. The overall sound at this point seems slightly reminiscent of the Iris days from Goo Goo Dolls. It’s a solid sound, partly nostalgic, partly loaded with fresh perspective and brand new melodies. The entire collection really makes for a high quality hour or so of music and audio escapism.

Choose offers up a twist in character slightly; the rhythm of the guitar from the offset, the following rhythm of the verses and the quick delivery of lines – it’s an interesting piece of songwriting within a thick and upbeat recording that captivates from start to finish. Great guitar work throughout, the rhythm and the solo, all wonderfully arranged around another stunning vocal performance. Another powerful hook section, too. Dave Vargo is a skillful songwriter, without question. This music is just mesmerising and so very easy to unwind to at the end of a long week.

Wishing On A Star is a slightly more stripped back recording than it’s predecessors. The raw acoustic energy of the piece lays bare the artist’s leading voice, and it’s a passionate and genuine performance – one that offers up some unique and personal lyrics that show a definite element of humanity and even vulnerability at times.

Discovering new releases from independent artists around the world is a total pleasure, particularly when it comes in the form of a full length project – you get to delve deep into the mind of the artist and get a much broader scope of what they’re all about. To discover in such a way is almost always a enjoyable, to say the very least, but this album really just strikes me as something on its own plain entirely. The collection is everything it needs to be – well written, beautifully performed, thoughtfully arranged and effectively mixed and mastered, but on top of all of this – you get something else, something that’s difficult to define. It’s a winning combination of elements and moments and songs, and for whatever reasons it works. Without a doubt, Burning Through is one for the long term playlist.

As the collection continues, Finding My Way To You is a well balanced fusion of the upbeat and the heartfelt, a great moment within the album with rising intensity and an addictive melody to match. Too Young To Be Broken offers an immediate contrast, the acoustic guitar picking presents a melancholy ambiance that is further explored by the artist’s gentle and distinctly weary sounding vocal – a beautifully relevant way to approach such a song. The lyrics line up well with all of this, the emotion of the piece is compelling and consistently genuine sounding; something you soon come to recognise and appreciate throughout Dave Vargo’s work. The song is significantly reflective and the title and the concept expressed throughout leave you reflecting a little yourself as you consider it all. Waiting has a similar energy to it at first, this small section of the album offers a series of moments within which you’re likely to find your mind wandering to a much more peaceful yet deeply thoughtful place.

A little more rhythm and optimism returns for the song Right Now. The track has a classic or soft rock feel to it, almost like a long lost hit or a well known driving anthem. The evolution from the verses to the chorus has incredible strength; it makes you want to learn each and every word as quickly as possible, to fully embrace those bigger moments when they arrive. Again, Dave Vargo’s voice is a beauty and a real pleasure to familiarise yourself with.

The final stretch of the collection features the stripped back and hypnotic Twisted And Bent, complete with enchanting story telling and a gorgeous melodic evolution as the whole thing progresses. Don’t Think Twice follows this minimalist moment with a little more of that optimistic, ongoing energy – a returning feeling of moving forwards, moving onward, shaking off the past. The track is still quite mellow but the beat brings about a somewhat epic aura that is soon joined by the rising power of the instrumentation. And then you get Pieces Of My Heart – a fantastic way to finish.

Pieces Of My Heart has something fresh about it, even at this final point within the project. The rhythm of the instrumentation, the short verse lines, the big switch to the chorus – the whole thing has been crafted in a way that brings real power and passion. It’s a charming arrangement with more of that much loved honesty and feeling, and of course, one more massive vocal moment to properly remind you of the strength of the artist’s singing voice and the way in which this songwriting really allows it to shine as brightly as possible.

An incredible collection of songs that you can trust in and return to time and time again. Listen on Spotify. Find and follow Dave Vargo on Facebook, Soundcloud & Twitter. Visit his Website for more info. - Stereo Stickman

Come Take Me Home immediately showcases the rich vocals and emotive guitars of Dave Vargo. The style of music that initially issues forth with Burning Through touches upon American rock from the 1970s all the way to the present. This means that fans can hear hints of The Eagles, Jackson Browne, and the Goo Goo Dolls in a polished way. Every piece during this first single works together to make for a cohesion rare in current music; after this introductory salvo, listeners will remain on the edges of their seats.

Wishing On A Star slows things down; the song is more tender and touching. A bit of folk can be heard here, but the song’s allure comes again with the peaks and valleys of Vargo’s voice and intricate guitar work. The bit of additional percussion provides additional depth to an already contemplative, heady cut. Finding My Way To You keeps the energy of Burning Through high. When the drums reach their full prominence, what issues forth is something that could easily make it onto rock radio (or Spotify) rotation.

Too Young To Be Broken slows things down and allows listeners to meditate on their own experiences. The track ties together a classical guitar with a narrative that stands up to repeat listens; the arrangement is twisted and shifted ever so slightly to keep fans on their toes as they move towards the end of Burning Through. Burning Through ends with Pieces of My Heart, a track that has a quicker tempo as it adopts pieces of alternative rock and the singer-songwriter styles. Vargo is able to make a tremendous statement with Burning Through, an album that will continue to impress throughout a number of plays.

Top Tracks: Wishing On A Star, Finding My Way To You, Pieces of My Heart

Rating: 8.4/10

Dave Vargo – Burning Through / 2017 Self Released / 11 Tracks / http://davevargomusic.com/ / https://www.facebook.com/dvargomusic/ - NeuFutur Magazine

Dave Vargo: “Burning Through” hits all the right rhythms and mood notes

Posted By: Jacob AidenPosted date: July 04, 2017in: ReviewsNo Comments


The album “Burning Through” by Dave Vargo clearly deserves a 5 star rating, but just I want to get my two cents worth in there anyway. If you’ve listened to Vargo at all, you’ll know that he is an amazing song writer and an even better lyricist. Musically, the album runs the gamut from pensive, slowed down numbers to upbeat Americana and Country gems. Perhaps even more impressive than Vargo’s songwriting abilities, are his lyrics. The man is a keen observer of life with an impeccable ability to put into words what it’s like to be, at the risk of sounding cliché, human.

I can honestly say that this album will get more play in your rotation than almost anything else if you have an affinity with this genre. These songs are deep, rich and polished. Dave Vargo wears his influences proudly on his sleeve, and I hear echoes and subtle traces of everybody from JJ Cale to Ryan Adams to Bruce Springsteen to James Taylor and Jackson Browne in this set.

A native of East Brunswick, NJ, Dave J. Vargo started playing the guitar at the age of eight and by 14 was performing throughout the tri-state area with various jazz, funk, and rock bands. He graduated from Berklee College of Music with honors and went on to become a touring sideman and session player. He has had the privilege of working with a number of notable talents including Whitney Houston, Phoebe Snow, Vonda Shepard, and Rupert Holmes.

Dave currently performs both solo and as part of an acoustic duo simply called Kim and Dave. He is also an active session player and songwriter. His debut album, “Burning Through”, was released in October 2016.

Honesty, fresh, storyteller and genuine – These are a few of the words that come to mind when I hit play on the first track, “Come Take Me Home”. Dave Vargo is songwriter who writes songs that hit you on multiple levels.

The melodies hit you on a physical level and just a few days in to listening to this album on repeat, I found that I carried them with me throughout the day. They weren’t just playing through my head, they were living within me.

Vargo is a wonderful storyteller and though his stories may seem ordinary at first blush, the underlying themes are universal and heady material to tackle. His ability to use simple, straightforward everyday language to communicate complex ideas is remarkable and rare. This is a trait you will also find in the works of artists such as Ryan Adams and Lucinda Williams.

This is particularly evident on the tracks “Finding My Way Home”, “Too Young To be Broken”, Twisted and Bent” and “Don’t Think Twice”. Dave has put his words and feelings so poignantly into these songs that you can feel the emotions of every note, chorus and guitar lick. Of course when he wants, Dave Vargo can bring his musicianship to the fore.

Something he promptly does with his guitar on “Good Enough”, “Waiting”, “Right Now” and “Pieces Of My Heart”. Vargo is singer and songwriter who hits all the right rhythms and mood notes: edgy Americana, soulful country, and many surprises throughout. To me, Dave Vargo is a master craftsman in his field of competence and this 11-song set unequivocally cements that stature. - JamSphere

Dave Vargo Comes “Burning Through” With Debut Disc


Interview by Danny Coleman

What do Whitney Houston, Rupert Holmes and Phoebe Snow all have in common? Give up? The answer is Dave Vargo and this former guitarist for the aforementioned has finally utilized his immense talent to release a CD of his own material.

“Burning Through” not only lives up to its name but stokes rock ‘n’ roll fires that have smoldered inside this New Jersey artist perhaps longer than he’ll care to admit. This 11 song combination of upbeat electric and acoustic offerings is crafted with the experience of a veteran musician yet the freshness of a newbie making one’s first record.

Immediately setting the tone, Track One, “Come Take me Home” is an up tempo tune and a perfect opener. The song’s crisp production allows for Vargo’s vocal ability to sell it right from the start and is an attention grabber, the sort which makes one say; “Whoa, who is this?”

Up next is “Good Enough,” a driving drum driven track, which as an outsider looking in appears to be a bit biographical and touches on Vargo’s own insecurities about returning to the music scene; maybe a bit unsure as to whether or not he’ll be accepted. None the less, a cut with a great vibe.

Track Three is an acoustic rocker called, “Choose.” The tune’s choppy rhythms and quick tempo stray from the path of the first two cuts and features a neat guitar lead about three quarters of the way in.

Staying acoustic, “Wishing On A Star” shows Vargo at perhaps his strength; solo with his Martin. This track has some backing percussionand some additional instrumentation but mostly it’s just the artist in his purest form; something where he excels. “You’ve been wishing on a star it hasn’t taken you too far…” Hmm, seems like we may have all been there at one time or another.

Dave Vargo

“Finding My Way To You” reflects his surroundings. Utilizing acoustic and electric guitars, along with a well mixed backing organ track, this one rocks from start to finish and has that “Jersey Shore” sound reminiscent of the late ’70’s and 1980’s which permeated boardwalks from Asbury Park to Wildwood.

Reverting back to his acoustic side, “Too Young To Be Broken” is a somber selection; “Now your dreams are gone and long forgotten, many words left unspoken, too young to be broken;” a haunting reminder of misspent youth and the ageless desire to recapture it? The beauty of this tune is that Vargo leaves it open to interpretation which may have one questioning their own accomplishments or lack there of; definitely thought provoking.

The seventh track, “Waiting” is also acoustic driven and picks up nicely about a third of the way in and then gives way to Track Eight titled, “Right Now.” This electrified rocker is both up tempo and yet takes its time getting to the end. A very enjoyable tune which, much like the opening track would have one wondering, who is this artist and then reaching for their Shazam App.

“Twisted And Bent” is a tail of failure and missteps in which he seems to be imploring a nameless subject to accept their lot and move on. One may get the impression that Vargo feels sorrow watching the events of this life unfold and he wishes that he could help but knows he can not.

Track Ten is the syncopated, “Don’t Think Twice.” Featuring a nice toe tapping meter and a smooth guitar lead which serves as a nice transition to a harder edge. This song starts out singer/songwriter and finishes strong.

The final cut is, “Pieces Of My Heart” and allows the disc to come full circle. Not quite as rocking as the opening track, this one changes gears several times before coming to an end with some nifty guitar riffs.

Overall, “Burning Through” is long overdue from an artist such as Vargo whose experience, talent and lyrical ability are truly a hidden gem. No longer a diamond in the rough, he is proof that it’s never to late to get started.

To purchase the the disc and/ir discover more about Dave Vargo; please go to www.davevargomusic.com.



Danny Coleman (Danny Coleman is a veteran musician and writer from central New Jersey. He hosts a weekly radio program entitled “Rock On Radio” airing Sunday evenings at 10 p.m. EST on multiple internet radio outlets where he features indie/original bands and solo artists.) - Concert Blogger Music Magazine

A veteran artist that produces the perfect blend of yesterday’s and today’s Alt/Rock, Dave Vargo truly delivers us a spellbinding collection of tracks on his LP Burning Through.

With a sound comprised of influences ranging from a mix of John Mellencamp, Gin Blossoms, and Counting Crows, we get a very anthemic album filled with elite musicianship, high quality production value, terrific vocal harmonies, and dynamically tasty guitar work on this beautifully written record that showcases Vargo‘s very well-put-together vocal structures and mid-range vocal approach perfectly.

This is another album that I noticed focuses on one of the biggest priorities some artists lose track of — incredible songwriting. This album is the perfect breath of fresh air if you’re looking for not only well structured original music, but also versatility as well. Each song offers up something new and uniquely different, but you can still hear Vargo‘s crisp and charismatic signature sound that sets him apart from your run-of-the-mill Alt/Rock artist.

The album displays different moods, auras, and absolute catchtiness regardless of the direction of each song. It’s an amazing mix of tracks that never shows an iota of being repetitive or running its course. Every song has an anthem-status that really showcases the true talent behind these sings, and there’s not one measure on any song that seems rushed, or shows any type if uncertainty. Dave Vargo went into the studio, and used the time to create not only some of the most precise tracks, but innovative ones as well.

And that’s what makes it hard to choose a favorite. Because Burning Through is an album where you don’t skip over one track. So if you were to ask me about my personal favorite on this record, I’d say the entire album. From start to finish. This is one you’ll start listening to from beginning to end, and you yourself will realize that you just listened to an entire album of perfectly crafted songs. - Artist Reach

MUSIC
Dave Vargo Battle Burns EP Review

ByKaren BenardelloPublished on December 7, 2018



David Vargo Battle Burns
Singer-songwriter David Vargo has released Americana indie rock EP, ‘Battle Burns.’

Artist: Dave Vargo

EP: ‘Battle Burns’

Contemplating the equally forlorn and alluring life journeys of strangers, friends and family and even themselves can often lead musicians to inspirational creative places. That’s certainly the case for Farmingdale, New Jersey singer-songwriter, Dave Vargo. He’s an emerging presence in Americana music who will surely take the genre by storm with the upcoming distribution of his next full-length album in February.

In an effort to prove his natural ability as a musical storyteller, the musician is now releasing a two-song EP, titled ‘Battle Burns,’ as a teaser for his new record. Embracing the fact that he has a deep curiously about people’s diverse ways of life, Vargo has also incorporated an alt-country and rock vibe into his music, which proves that he accepts diverse ways of life.

Vargo’s intriguing interest in diverse ways of life and music is immediately showcased in the contemplative song, ‘This Time Around.’ Backed by an enthralling mix of Americana and country guitar riffs and drum beats, the singer thoughtfully ponders the life circumstances that brought the strangers into the bar where they’re all drowning their sorrows. In husky vocals, the musician also considers whether there’s anything left to save as they battle their demons.

MUSIC
Dave Vargo Battle Burns EP Review

ByKaren BenardelloPublished on December 7, 2018



David Vargo Battle Burns
Singer-songwriter David Vargo has released Americana indie rock EP, ‘Battle Burns.’

Artist: Dave Vargo

EP: ‘Battle Burns’

Contemplating the equally forlorn and alluring life journeys of strangers, friends and family and even themselves can often lead musicians to inspirational creative places. That’s certainly the case for Farmingdale, New Jersey singer-songwriter, Dave Vargo. He’s an emerging presence in Americana music who will surely take the genre by storm with the upcoming distribution of his next full-length album in February.

In an effort to prove his natural ability as a musical storyteller, the musician is now releasing a two-song EP, titled ‘Battle Burns,’ as a teaser for his new record. Embracing the fact that he has a deep curiously about people’s diverse ways of life, Vargo has also incorporated an alt-country and rock vibe into his music, which proves that he accepts diverse ways of life.

Vargo’s intriguing interest in diverse ways of life and music is immediately showcased in the contemplative song, ‘This Time Around.’ Backed by an enthralling mix of Americana and country guitar riffs and drum beats, the singer thoughtfully ponders the life circumstances that brought the strangers into the bar where they’re all drowning their sorrows. In husky vocals, the musician also considers whether there’s anything left to save as they battle their demons.

RECOMMENDED
Someone Will Win for Life on 12/21!
FREE Gift If You'll Take Our Poll
Preview The 2018 Sonata With Kelley Blue Book
Your Tiny Thyroid Linked to Obesity, Heart – Find Out Here!
Powered by
The infectious, rootsy and high energy vibe continues on the equally captivating title track, ‘Battle Burns.’ Also driven by a stunning electric guitar, the tune is a heartfelt piece about surviving life’s overwhelming struggles. Through gritty vocals, Vargo powerfully admits that a fire is raging in people’s lives, and the lasting damage is done. He also acknowledges that even though the truth is hurtful to look at, people must accept, and ultimately fight back against, it in order to capture the respect, and overall life, they deserve.

Evaluating the equally hopeless and enticing life journeys of strangers, friends and family and even themselves can often lead musicians to inspirationally creative places. That’s certainly the case for Vargo, who’s an emerging presence in Americana music with his natural ability as a musical storyteller. With the singer-songwriter releasing ‘Battle Burns’ as a teaser for his upcoming full-length album, he’s rightfully embracing the fact that he has a deep curiously about people’s diverse ways of life. Vargo has also incorporated an alt-country and rock vibe into his new songs, which is proving his versatility as a musician. - Shock Ya!

Dave Vargo sings straight from the heart on the soulful “Battle Burns EP”. Neatly drawing together folk, country, and indie rock into a singular whole the collection feels imbued with a sense of life. Quite graciously the two pieces unfold revealing a true knack for storytelling. Over the course of the two tracks a thoughtfulness emerges one that explores a life lived to the fullest with all the ups and downs it entails. The arrangements further lend themselves to a tasteful disposition for Dave Vargo’s elegant guitar work with its western twang gives it a slight edge.
With “This Time Around” a ragged rhythm takes shape. The acoustic and the electric guitars nicely play off each other. Drums offer a steady beat helping to anchor the entire piece while at times referencing an almost emotive sort of quality. Upon letting it all melt away for a mere moment the track gains a unique poignancy with simply Dave Vargo’s naked voice and his lonely guitar. Perfectly concluding the collection on a high note is the title track “Battle Burns”. Delivered with such intensity and gusto, the clear-eyed focus adds to its poignancy. Over the course of the song Dave Vargo’s voice gains a peculiar sort of affect as he draws from an entire lifetime of experience.
“Battle Burns EP” shows off Dave Vargo’s uncanny ability to craft a message that lingers in the mind long after the song has ended. - Skope Magazine

We called his last album, Burning Through, “…a blueprint for budding musicians and songwriters everywhere on how to create a really solid, radio-ready, soft-rock album.”

Now, the Farmingdale, New Jersey-based, Berklee College of Music grad, and former session player for the late Whitney Houston, known as, Dave Vargo, has come across our radar once again with his latest dual-track single, Battle Burns, a Vargo-esque-typical heartfelt pair of songs which are the prelude to his forthcoming sophomore solo album.

Track one, the 90’s-style, acoustic-melancholy number, This Time Around, feels like a Toad The Wet Sprocket revival. (For those of you youngsters that aren’t familiar with Toad, this is indeed a compliment.) This substantive tale of regret even sports an uncommonly tasteful acoustic break at 2:40.

The single’s more electric title track, Battle Burns, pairs nicely with its predecessor, offering solace in the idea of surviving what life throws your way (think: John Mellencamp)…

“Been waiting ’round until you get your turn
See the fires wage, and the battle burns
Keep fighting hard, despite all you’ve learned
And all you’ve done to earn those battle burns…”

WHOSE LOVECHILD…?
Toad The Wet Sprocket meets John Mellencamp…

BELOW: Listen to Dave Vargo’s new single, Battle Burns, and connect with his website and social media platforms. Please support Dave Vargo by visiting him online, and playing, downloading, and/or purchasing his music, or attending a live show! And, as always, thank you for supporting real music! - The Ark of Music

Despite contemporary Americana’s foundation being settled in Chicagoan pubs, the movement encapsulating roots-amalgam still feels plenty connected to naturalism. New Jersey, then, might not be the first place one might find a rising star of the genre, but rural Farmingdale manages to harbor the musical muse of Dave Vargo. Recalling a songwriting space of mind on-par with the likes of Jackson Browne or Tom Petty, Vargo’s textured, earthen take on Americana ruminates on the fledgling genre’s early pioneers. Even with just the two-song ‘Battle Burns’ preview he has to offer us ahead of his incoming sophomore full-length, Vargo gives listeners plenty to feel grateful for as the holiday season comes in for what we’re hoping to be a soft landing.

It’s a blessing, then, that Vargo made the conscious decision to get back into the game. After touring with Whitney Houston in the late 80s, the veteran musician felt burnt out on the craft and veered into the realm of running his own financial planning agency. Yet, when Vargo returned home one day, he found his water heater ruptured and his collection of guitars ruined during a flood. Between that and an arthritis diagnosis, the singer-songwriter picked up an acoustic and re-committed himself to his art, knowing that his time playing might be more limited than it had ironically been during his stagnation.

On offer here, then, is a taste of what’s to come of his rekindled passion. The titular ‘Battle Burns’ tops off the two-piece EP with a steady-moving arrangement that seems nearly self-reflective, culminating into a vibrant, guitar-centric bridge that evokes feelings of bittersweet nostalgia. Opener ‘This Time Around’, meanwhile, rocks a little faster, but with the same world-aware perception that Vargo establishes in his centerpiece. He’s a straight-shooter; roots rock is what he does, period. They always say that if you’re going to do one thing to do it well, and to that point, Vargo exceeds expectations. - For Folk's Sake

A rustic acoustic guitar strums to life and wanders down a dark, ominous path of minor key swing as we enter “This Time Around,” one of two new songs that Dave Vargo is releasing ahead of his brand new sophomore LP, which is due out later this year. Vargo’s vocals come sliding into focus at an angle, against the grain of the strings, but he doesn’t interrupt the flow of the rhythm, which is startlingly rigid beside the contrasting swing of the drums. The percussion nudges us along and into the progressive bend of the bass, which is intent on getting the other instrumentation in a chokehold by the time we reach the halfway point in the track. There’s a million things going on at once, but Dave Vargo continues to croon unflinchingly.

His voice sinks into the springy reverb that accents the electric guitar, and while the drums are fine with their black and white plaintiveness, the bass isn’t comfortable staying where it’s at. It fights, harder than most would, to get into the forefront of the master mix, but nothing is getting past Vargo’s soft serenading, which on its own makes this single one of the more exquisitely stylized folk anthems of the New Year. Following a somber breakdown, we fall right back into an electrified jug band jam that is impossible to resist when you’re playing the song at the right volume, and while “This Time Around” is a rollicking ballad devoid of a scooped heavy metal EQ, its physicality will leave you feeling shaken nonetheless, as if you’d just come from a lively stage show.
Shiny power chords mark our foray into “Battle Burns” with a jangling hook that is awfully hard to forget once you’ve heard it at least once, but don’t start thinking that this song is going to be any more streamlined than its companion is. The effervescent grooves slowly but surely blossom into a lush country rock tune played out at half-speed as to amplify the richness of its tonality. Subsequently, Vargo is able to weave an intricate melodicism into the bones of the track that wouldn’t have been there otherwise. You could call the concept ingenious, and you’d be right, but what Dave Vargo does in both of these songs goes beyond studio creativity altogether.

No matter what sort of folk-rock turns you on the most, the new album that Vargo has been hammering out in the studio lately promises to be one of the hottest releases of 2019, and if we’re to go off of what we find in these two awesome teaser tracks, there should be no questions remaining as to whether or not his second album will surpass the tremendous quality of his first. We’re living in one of the most competitive and cutthroat periods in the history of pop music (not to mention one of the most overcrowded talent pools since the dawn of the recording age). The fact that Dave Vargo sticks out as much as he does with this organic, simplistic variety of acoustic music speaks volumes about his skill and the remarkable gifts that he brings to the table.

Sebastian Cole - Gashouse Radio

A few moments ago, singer-songwriter Dave Vargo released his new album, entitled Spaces In Between, the follow-up to his 2016 debut album, Burning Through.

From East Brunswick, New Jersey, Vargo attended Berklee College of Music. After graduating with honors, he became a session musician and touring artist, while also performing solo, along with being half of the duo Kim and Dave, and playing with the Dave Vargo Trio.

Encompassing 11-tracks, Spaces In Between begins with “This Moment On,” opening on a light shimmering guitar flowing into an upbeat rhythm composed of a thumping-lite bassline and tight, crisp drumming. As the tune takes shape, it coruscates with delicious guitar colors topped by a wonderful solo, just right. Vargo’s tenor fills the lyrics with velvety tones, adding delightful luminous surface timbres.

Entry points on the album include “Without A Fight,” riding darker colors, along with heaving muscular tones. The rhythmic flow of this song is deliciously alluring, potent and contagious. Two distinct guitar solos imbue the tune with first searing and then skintight grinding nasal flavors.

Wow! 'Spaces In Between' is without a doubt on my list of Top 10 albums of the year.
“Rewrites” delivers oozing viscous bluesy savors seguing into glistening guitars, as Vargo’s dulcet high tones give the song urgent intensity. “Battle Burns” opens on jangly Byrd-like guitars, glistening with radiant hues, and then takes on a Midwestern-Americana-alt-rock flavor, tantalizing and somehow elusively familiar because of its gentle allure.

“In Between” travels on an infectious rhythm topped by glinting guitars and smooth, graceful vocals. Rumbling drums infuse the chorus with resounding depth, adding delicious rounded tones. “Miles Upon Your Heart” opens on bright vivid guitars skiffing above a wonderfully charming rhythmic pulse. When the music mousses up, layers of iridescent guitars infuse the tune with luscious surface hues.

The final track, “Not Alone,” has Vargo singing softly over creamy, shining guitars and a taut crunching beat. As the harmonics swell, the melody escalates with surging colors and compelling energy.

Wow! Spaces In Between is without a doubt on my list of Top 10 albums of the year. Wonderfully wrought, Dave Vargo’s talent is nonpareil. This is a magnificent album.

Follow Dave Vargo Website | Facebook | Soundcloud - Rawckus Magazine

Dave Vargo is among the most criminally underrated singer/songwriters I’ve been following in the last couple of years, and if you listen to his new single “Half Bad,” you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. His vocal style is direct but not lacking the luster of a rustic folk-rocker in complete control of his own artistic narrative, while his approach to instrumental fireworks has never left critics or fans disappointed - even in an era heavily favoring minimalism well outside of his aesthetical realm. This is a player who doesn’t overthink his lyrics nor his musical moxie, and in “Half Bad,” everything he does brilliantly gets all of the spotlight it deserves.

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/dvargomusic

If you didn’t already know Vargo values tonality as much as he does the vitality of his verses, this song should set you straight inside of its first sixty seconds. There’s so much energy drawn from the contrast between the guitar parts in this single, and although it would have created a bit of indulgent discord for other players, this isn’t a singer/songwriter who doesn’t know what to do with chaos when he has it at his disposal. Everything here is an extension of his emotions, from subtle details to the most glaring of cosmetic features.

This lead vocal is probably the most identifiable signature Dave Vargo leaves on his content, but the sizzle of the guitar absolutely gives him the sort of run for his money a lot of critics would just as soon assume he’d want to steer clear of. He isn’t afraid to get down and dirty with a harmony if it means maximizing the humanity of his words, and moreover, the music they’re cushioned by, and though I think this was evident in all of his previously released work, there’s no getting around how obvious an attribute this is in “Half Bad.”

SOUNDCLOD: https://soundcloud.com/djvargo/half-bad

The brooding harmonies in this track likely wouldn’t be as strong without the rock n’ roll volume every component of the backing band is afforded, and as different as this makes his songwriting formula from that of his contemporaries, there’s still something very modern about the sound Vargo is fashioning for himself here. His grit tethers him to the old school without question, but the freewheeling nature of this arrangement leans more on the experimental than it does anything conventional - once again bringing to mind the alternative Americana of Paul Westerberg and Mike Cooley while still living in a realm all its own.

Singer/songwriters are really owning the American indie hierarchy at the moment, but if there’s one you should be paying a lot more attention to heading into the summer season, it is most definitely Mr. Dave Vargo. Spaces in Between made a fan out of me for sure, and if you were as enamored by the evocative tonal presence of that record from start to finish as I was, “Half Bad” is going to get you very excited about what Vargo has been working on in the time since. Top to bottom, he’s one of a kind.

Anne Hollister - Indie Source