By John Bedard
This one is pretty surprising for me. I fully expected to not be a big fan of this one. I live on the Kentucky border with Tennessee and because of this have not turned on the radio in approximately 10 years. Pretty much everything played on the radio this close to music city is not my style. Needless to say, my expectations were low. That being said, once I hit play I loved it. I found myself listening to the album over and over beyond what I normally do for a review. Even to the point of learning the lyrics well enough to sing along at times. Every track is a hit in my book.
The vocals have this raw unrefined feeling to them in the best kind of way. It has a feeling similar to the kind of sound you get live in a smaller pub-style venue but without all the background noise of people eating and drinking. There is such an honesty to the vocals that at times I felt like I could just close my eyes and suddenly I was back at my favorite pub with a great band playing the type that the whole place quiets down and just listens. I’m gushing already and I have only been talking about the vocals so far.
Musically things just get better. There is nothing overly complex going on. Instead, everything stays rather simple, perfectly complementing the raw tone of the vocals. Different instruments come in and out at times giving a nice evolution to the tracks never letting it get too repetitive. Once again my mind goes back to that feeling of a great time at the pub with a great band. It also helps that there is a lot of piano. You always win points with me by including a piano.
I rarely enjoy an album as much as I have enjoyed this one. I would probably describe this album as an experience rather than just another album. The lyrics are all interesting and draw you in, The vocal delivery really sells it and the instrumentation ties it all into a nice little package that you owe it to yourself to experience. Everything feels so perfectly and intentionally crafted. No note out of place. The whole experience delivered exactly how it is meant to be. I could not get enough and, honestly, I had no idea what I was missing.
- ‘When You Found Me’ is out now. You can get your copy HERE.
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