Rating: ***1/2
Hailing from sunny San Diego we have a singer-songwriter with a funky and jazzy vibe named Kevin Thomas with a new project from his Kevin Thomas Band called "A New Heart".
Thomas says that this album is an effort to take his music into a more positive direction, but truth be told, I'm not super familiar with his prior stuff so it may just come off as positive without much context to me as a listener.
This is a full-length album with 10 tracks that promises to be full of tunes on personal reflection and progression.
I'm excited to have a listen so I'm gonna do that and then chat with you all about it because that's literally the only purpose of this site.
Listen to "A New Heart" on Spotify by clicking here
"Let Your Arrow Fly" is very upbeat and positive so he wasn't messing around when he said he was pushing his music into this direction. This one is fun in a Jimmy Buffett sort of way. Hard not to like it. "Reinvent Yourself" is a little more complex musically and lyrically. Totally different sound and much more of a They Might Be Giants energy on this one. A great track again. "Mirror Mirror" has a Latin flair that is a nice change of pace. It's sexier than the prior two tracks that's for sure. "High on Chocolate" has adult themes but really sounds like a kids song. I didn't connect with this one as much but it has an audience for sure. "Money Tree" is the last song on the first half of this one and I really like it. A little darker in tone musically, even if the lyrics still have a positive bent to it. "Comfort Zone" brings us back to the Jimmy Buffett vibe that track one brought us. Even more so. Solid track. "The Big Picture" and "On My Way Out" are both solid album tracks with the true style of Thomas' and his band being quite clear at this point. Solid songwriting with a unique vocal style on full display on both. "The Best Luck Around" is fun but fairly forgettable while the ending track "Time" brings a funk vibe that we haven't really heard the entire LP. It actually ends up being one of my favorite tracks on the album.
This one is a very good collection of tracks. While there aren't any particular tracks that stand out as truly exceptional, almost all of them are at least good, while most are great and super easy to listen to. If you don't like Jimmy Buffett or to a lesser extent Dave Mathews Band, this one might not be for you. Everybody else should find enough here to put a smile on your face.