Ashley Brown’s narration is smooth, confident, and impassioned, but avoids preachiness. She gives facts on the difficulty of water transportation in Arizona, then juxtaposes them with the apparent entitled attitude of the Tucson Water employee. Everything revolves around the journey; ramifications are suggested, but the listener is allowed to draw his or her own conclusions.
This is both a thought-provoking piece of reporting and a melodic work of art. Ashley Brown fluidly matches form to content, reflecting the quality of the water’s motion in the quality of her voice and in her diction. When the water is flowing naturally, Ashley’s voice guides the reader down the mountain with it, and the script is beautifully poetic. Less euphonious human voices are added when the water meets human manipulation. But the interviews fit seamlessly: they forward, rather than interrupt, the journey. The way the voices are faded makes it feel as if we move past them, traveling with the water. There are enough facts to make the piece informative, but the focus never strays from the journey itself. This is a piece fit for broadcast, especially on shows looking for a fresh and original approach to informing the public about resource usage.