{"id":4226,"date":"2022-01-22T18:27:51","date_gmt":"2022-01-22T18:27:51","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/?p=4226"},"modified":"2022-01-23T07:44:21","modified_gmt":"2022-01-23T07:44:21","slug":"4226","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/platinummind.net\/index.php\/2022\/01\/22\/4226\/","title":{"rendered":"Album Review: “Bloor Street” – Kiefer Sutherland"},"content":{"rendered":"

I must say that I was surprised to hear that Kiefer Sutherland was a singer to add to his many talents.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I mean\u2026 most people my age will remember him being in 80s classic Lost Boys, 24 and more. But to hear him sing, this is something else.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, I\u2019m putting on my earphones and turning it up\u2026<\/p>\n

Bloor Street<\/strong><\/p>\n

This kicks off proceedings as the title track and it starts pleasantly. Kiefer\u2019s voice is easy on the ear, and I\u2019m impressed. The album as a whole is billed as a country song, but I can hear bits of blues in there too, especially in the chorus and the guitar playing. There\u2019s a pleasant harmony line in there that I like hearing when he sings \u201cBaby, baby walk slow, baby don\u2019t go\u201d. It\u2019s made me go back and listen to it a few times.<\/p>\n

Probably my favourite track on the album, good choice as an opener.<\/p>\n

Going Down<\/strong><\/p>\n

Now this is more country with Hammond organ and electric piano underneath it, traditionally not \u201ccountry\u201d instruments, but it gives it some spice! They key\u2019s raised from G major with \u201cBloor Street\u201d to C on this number, and there\u2019s more the harmonies are coming through more. Kiefer\u2019s vocal has a very slightly gravelly quality on this, and that works really well.<\/p>\n

Two Stepping In Time<\/p>\n

This really reminds me of the kind of thing that Bryan Adams would do, it slow boils and then builds up to lots of punctuations from the backing at the end of each line – nice arrangement not complicated at all. You will find yourself singing this by the way.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So Full Of Love\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This is the kind of song you could just imagine people singing to each other well into their old age, it\u2019s a song about being\u00a0 <\/span>so in love that you just don\u2019t know what to love you just don\u2019t know what to do\u2026\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

We\u2019ve all been there at some point in our lives, where someone just blows your mind and they crack even the hardest of hearts to make you fall in love with someone.. it could apply to parent to child partner to significant other\u2026 lots to think about here.<\/p>\n

County Jail Gate\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

This song conjures quite an image as you hear it, this is the storytelling side of country music that I like. It\u2019s a piano led song about someone being released from jail after a period of time and reintegration into civilian life\u2026 The piano playing has me fascinated as to who\u2019s playing it\u2026 This is the kind of song you\u2019d imagine being recorded in Nashville, sometime in the 70s.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s a song about regretting what you\u2019ve done, he sings about the subject losing his mother while in prison and not being able to see her before she died.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Such a sad song but with a moral behind it.<\/p>\n

Goodbye<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back to the blues, major seventh chords in there to give it that spicy flavour and the hammond is back again, there\u2019s a tasty guitar solo that begins at around 1:59 that really impressed me, and that ever present Hammond organ is making me feel some way about this! It ties for my favourite track on the album with \u201cBloor Street\u201d. This could be a fun one to play live!<\/p>\n

Lean Into Me<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back to ballad territory. This is a gorgeous song talking about being the pillar of support either as a friend or a lover.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cLean into me, I won\u2019t let you fall\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

I love that line.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been where you are, I\u2019ll show you the scars\u201d. I like that line too. Makes me want to get the phone torch out and wave it around and I doubt I\u2019ll be alone. Back in the day it was lighters\u2026 Different time.<\/p>\n

Chasing The Rain.<\/strong><\/p>\n

One thing I need to make note of is that Kiefer\u2019s really pleasantly surprised me with his voice. This is where his vocals shine, nice mix overall by the way (More on that later!)<\/p>\n

The harmonies here are gorgeous, as is the musical arrangement, nicely played on this. Everyone seems to shine out on it.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing Left To Say\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

The guitar work on this is really impressive, I like the muted guitar playing in the verse. You don\u2019t get to hear that very often in music nowadays and I love that. Again, this song shows Kiefer\u2019s skills as a vocalist, and I\u2019m really enjoying it the way his harmonies blend together.<\/p>\n

Set Me Free<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back to country territory with this one, it\u2019s a steady track with Kiefer singing at speed at times to get the lines in, this would have required a lot of control for him and he does it really well. The song falls into tempo nicely, and is my third favourite song on an already fab album for me.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Down The Line\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

An acoustic ballad to close the album and this time the strings have been broken out, nice little little violin solo in the intro to give it a nice traditional country feel\u2026 for me the vibe for this is a \u201cto be continued\u2026\u201d if you like this then go and check out my back catalogue or wait till you see me on tour. This is a perfect song to close a show out with, big sing along chorus for everyone to sing along and everyone in the band is shining here.<\/p>\n

Overall the album is a stunning body of work. I am pleasantly surprised by Kiefer and his voice as well as his songs here.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The production and mix was handled by a giant in the game Chris Lord-Alge whose credits will make your jaw drop. Go read them. Honestly. It will blow your mind. Mix engineers don\u2019t get enough recognition for what they do tending to hide in the shadows so I\u2019m going to shout his name.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Special thanks to Sally Newman @ The Songbird HQ, and Katie Gwyther, Fear PR.<\/p>\n\n\n

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