Breaking the Boundaries
The new breed of singer/songwriters strikes again with Josh Kelley's brand new album, For the Ride Home. With a soft southern sound produced by John Alagia (John Mayer, Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R.) and a voice that recalls John Mayer's breathiness and Seal's soulful sound, Kelley is sure to attract an easy listening crowd.
"Amazing," the first single, broke the ground for Kelley. With the catchy chorus -- Baby, you're amazing / I want to let you see / You're everything and more to me -- you'll definitely find yourself humming along. His acoustic vibes are captured at their highest potential in the songs "Home to Me" and "Amen." You can even find a steel lap guitar in the song "Faces" and a little bit of good old southern banjo in "Follow You."
Every album has to have its song about some sort of emotional catastrophe and this one is no different. The lyric in "Old Time Memory" says, With the feelings that remain and the promises in vain / And the memories are stained, for you, for you. Also, in the song "Small Town Boy," he makes sure listeners know he doesn't forget where he came from. To end the album, "Pokerface" will leave chills in your spine that will put you in the best of spirits.
For the Ride home is an excellent addition to the world of singer/songwriters. If the hype that has been coming along with this album is justified, Kelley should be around to stay for a while. Let's just hope he can hold the longevity of the greats who came before.