Rating: ****
I tackled the first single off of Gideon King & City Blog's upcoming full-length release entitled "Fake it on Facebook" a little earlier, but now we are gonna delve into the whole shebang.
On August 10, "Upscale Madhouse" drops and it's sure to offer plenty of what I loved about the first single. Humor? Jazzy vocals? Well-played instruments? Probably yes. At least I sure hope it does. There is literally only one way to find out.
I'm gonna listen to it!
Join me?
Listen to "Fake it on Facebook" on Spotify here:
I love the name of the first track, "Straight to Hell". The beauty of it, is what a chill track it is. I really like it. King manages to make smooth-type jazz sound pretty cool. That's a tough trick to pull off. The title track "Upscale Madhouse" is track two and it's a lovely ballad of sorts. This is King at his absolute vocal best. The guitar is gorgeous as well. "Broken and Beautiful" is another slower tempo track that manages to capture what I imagine New York life quite well. This one has a little Harry Connick in it. We covered "Fake it on Facebook" a little earlier, but I'll reiterate that it's rock-solid. It really captures what King and his band do best. "Love You Love You Love You" is next and it's a melodic throwback to some of my favorite yacht-rock artists of the 70's. Not everybody is gonna dig it, but I think it's tops. "Gun To My Head" strikes a somber note. One of the few tracks on the record that strikes a serious chord. The guitar intro is beautifully played and really sets the tone for the rest of the track. As the song progresses into a blues-ey number, it really showcases King's vocals. John Legend-esque. That's high praise. "For Our Own Sake" has a nice piano intro before segueing into a slow and pretty duet perfect for a late night at the wine bar. "So Evolved" and "God, I'm So Alone" both have gorgeous female-sung lead vocals with the latter opening with studio pontification of needing a better website. Lyrically it discusses the need for social media and the struggles of the isolation of showbiz in general. Really solid track. "Look Ma, No Hands" ends the LP in less than a minute with some reverb effects, a few notes on the guitar, and a man screaming before cutting off suddenly. Somehow perfect.
As I mentioned in the original review of the single, this isn't usually my type of music. That said, I really loved this record. It's well played, and it's varied tempo, vocalists, and lyrical content really kept me on my toes. I think just about anybody will at least like this LP and fans of the genre are gonna love it. August 10, you should check it out.