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from All Music Guide Reviews 10/2001
written by Matt Borghi
http://www.allmusic.com/
Dean Santomieri - The Boy Beneath the Sea (The Foundry - 2001)
Not only is the concept of this recording intriguing, but the sound, story, and musical ideas expressed here are as well. Dean Santomieri's The Boy Beneath the Sea is a spoken-word story about a boy who leaves his home to live under the sea. The storytelling sections are told by Dean Santomieri, while the perfectly assembled musical background is provided by Bruce Anderson, Karen Stockpole, and David Kwan. Santomieri plays the part of multiple people in the story; his evocative voice made for storytelling, he's perfectly suited for this role. The ensemble plays behind his eerie voice throughout the recording, creating an equally evocative music that is as complimentary as any could imagine. In places this recording is similar to the Doors accompanying Jim Morrison's moody and dark narratives and complimenting his tone and sequence with music key, scale, and timbre; in mind specifically are "The End" and "When the Music's Over." Also at times this recording is reminiscent of Trey Anastasio's (Phish) telling of the stories from his Gamehenge saga, which can be heard on most of the early Phish recordings. All in all, this is an excellent recording and one that truly has an excellent story to tell.