The epitome of versatility, Darin's output runs the gamut from goofy cornball to serious protest with the reluctance to be pigeonholed probably the biggest stumbling block between his genuine talent and more widespread fame. For me, 'Dream Lover' is a good example of the kind of paralysis that's engendered by this sense of inner conflict; as confident a vocalist as he is, Darin here sounds remarkably unsure about his own song. There's a rusty stilt to his delivery on the verses suggesting that Darin has written a teen ballad and rather wishes he hadn't. It's only on the terrific build up to the hook of the chorus ("Because I want...a girl...to call...my own") that he pulls away the blocks to let his vocal free wheel with any passion.And the lack of focus is replicated in the music too - for what is essentially teen orientated pop there's a veritable factory of sound whirring away in the background with precious little of it in harmony. A flamenco-like guitar riff, some plucked strings pinging like raindrops over the top of it, a ghostly wail of female backing harmony and a more earthbound 'yeah yeah' from the men - 'Dream Lover' pulls in too many directions to be comfortable and it makes the end product flat and lifeless. And just what is this dream lover? The idealised, unobtainable female who haunted The Everly Brothers, or does Darin yearn for a presence to share his dreams like some lust fuelled Freddy Kruger? The song doesn't tell and 'Dream Lover' remains frustratingly inaccessible right to the end.
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