Blake
@blakemckibben
2Following
2Followers
Hillsboro, OR USA
Joined Feb 2, 2010
With so many albums little more than a collection of songs rushed out as soon as there is enough material to fill the space, it is a rare pleasure to find a record as lovingly crafted as Blake McKibben's debut.
This young, good-looking man from Portland, Oregon has produced a record that has taken all of two years' hard work to perfect.
'Haze' is an album that cannot be defined by any single style, but which still has a thread running through each and every track. As befits a record made entirely by one individual, every song is intensely personal, telling the stories of a man's life; both the highs and the lows.
Equally adept at turning his hand to rock, pop, folk or even hip-hop, McKibben uses every weapon in his musical armoury. But each style is just another reflection of his soul, and evidence of an enormous talent.
'Haze' is by turns catchy, heart-felt, funny and sad. McKibben covers every emotion of his young life, from the heartbreak of 'The Breakup Song' to the feel good jauntiness of 'You Lift Me Up', via the daily drudgery of working life, described perfectly in 'Another Day Another Dollar'.
But the standout tracks are the rawest, most soulful and most beautiful. The title track and 'I Wish I Could Thank You' both deal with the tragedy of losing a loved one. But out of that tragedy has come music that belies its creator's youth.
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