AMG Review of Of What Lies Beneath

John D. Luerssen
All Music Guide

Signed to Lenny Kravitz's Roxie Records, Dan Dyer has not only the faith of that platinum-selling rock icon but also his keen production hand and musical insights on the sturdy Of What Lies Beneath. "Red Alert" launches the set with an infectiously poppy rocker built around the singer's capable tenor -- which falls somewhere between Third Eye Blind's Stephan Jenkins and Tom Cochrane of Red Rider fame. And the disc rarely disappoints as it unfolds to reveal the muscular shuffle of "Great Ocean," the somber midtempo title track, and the U2-like pulse of "Stereosonic." OK, the bare-bones funk of "Stella" is pretty ordinary, but by and large Dyer and Kravitz concoct a keeper for pop fans. Further proof lies in the acoustic beauty of "Not of This World" and "She Makes Me Believe," which may be the best song Pete Yorn never wrote.