Thursday, April 22, 2010

Joe makes me happy

Joe Firstman has been making the rounds in the musical scene for almost a decade, but listening to his latest album El Porto, one would think that he's just started down the path. Which isn't to say it sounds immature or undeveloped; its beauty lies in its seeming simplicity. Firstman plays everything on the album, which shows his range of experience (at one point he was bandleader for NBC’s late-night program, Last Call with Carson Daly) while keeping it glitz free at the same time. The result is ten tracks that roll along carried mostly by acousticish guitar lines which rollick along while conveying a melancholy hue at the same time. There's a tinge of sadness and regret that permeates the album.
i wore myself thin
burned my soul out
i was the worst kind of friend
for making you doubt

but now i can see
everything that i was missing
what have you been doing
i won't leave you guessing

i want to be the one who makes you happy
i want to be the one who turns you on
Those lyrics come from the album's third track, The One That Makes You Happy, my favorite on the album. The rest of the songs have that same country rock feel to them and that sense that life could be better but in the meantime these songs will help carry you through.







Visit this website, his label Rock Ridge Music, and become his friend on MySpace.

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