AV Super Sunshine is back with new music!

AV Super Sunshine’s songwriting and performances always impress me; his latest single “Crazy Love” is no exception. He released the new cut in two forms – a rock and dance mix – and it provides listeners with a look into his creative process without ever sacrificing the entertainment value Sunshine brings to everything he touches. An important part of AV Super Sunshine’s ongoing success is his partnership with producer and musician Michael Bradford. Bradford’s long résumé in the musical world, working with Deep Purple and Kid Rock to name a few, gives him an unique perspective that many of his peers lack and his multi-instrumental talents further inform AV Super Sunshine’s output. This Wisconsin based talent has yet to peak and each new release shows consistent and exponential growth over preceding efforts.

It is impressive to note the fluidity of AV Super Sunshine’s musical approach. He moves between a rock and dance mix of this song without missing a beat and both stylistic thrusts strike listeners with the same amount of conviction and skill. His discography grows larger with each year, but AV Super Sunshine hasn’t worked for decades in this incarnation, yet writes, performs, and sings with the confidence of a seasoned veteran. His vocal performance works just as well in both contexts.

The dance mix, however, adds a layer of effects to his singing and the harmony vocals alike. Those effects match up well with the dance mix’s musical arrangement; AV Super Sunshine and Bradford pair up well in this electronics heavy musical framework and the synthesizers radiate a surprising amount of warmth rather than falling cold and flat for listeners. It is obvious Sunshine has immense talent with both styles and he never puts a foot wrong during either mix.

 

The guitar work is a high point of the rock mix but, for me, the main attraction of the rock track is hearing AV Super Sunshine’s vocal unfettered and positioned more up front in the mix than what we hear during the dance mix. It pairs well with the guitar playing – the six string work is, for the most part, clean, but keen eared listeners will detect the presence of light phasing coloring the playing. It gives the track a little extra verve and never proves to be any sort of distraction.

The harmony vocals aren’t omnipresent in the performance, but they are a likely underrated aspect of rock mix. They punctuate AV Super Sunshine’s lead vocal without ever overshadowing it in any way and works well as an indication of his tasteful songwriting chops. Taken together, the rock and dance mixes of “Crazy Love” represent the next logical step forward of Sunshine’s songwriting development and, despite his indie status, Sunshine’s music deserves to be heard by the widest possible audience. It has attributes and qualities tailor made for mainstream appeal. This new single will only increase his exposure and bring his talents to a larger audience than ever before. Listeners new to his work will turn away from the song deeply impressed by his facility with the forms while longtime fans will, undoubtedly, feel reassured that his growth continues unabated.

Mindy McCall