To be a singer-songwriter is to tackle one of the most difficult genres of music out there. It is far from easy to stand out, so singer-songwriters are always being criticized for their lack of innovation. The deciding factor of the singer-songwriter’s worth, in my opinion, is their passion and miracle creativity. Senior Andrew Corey pours his heart and soul into every word and every hook. Ladies and gentlemen, we might have ourselves the next big star.
Now, I’m about to do something that I never do… I’m reviewing this thing track by track. What can I say? He’s a Jesuit family member, and we’re all men for others, right?
” woo hoo “- This opening track starts with some very bouncy and ebullient guitar strumming. The melody is sugary sweet and the chorus is catchier than the cold. It’s hard to imagine that this much energy is being generated by one man and one guitar. Lyrically, Corey is witty and interesting. He doesn’t craft an entirely new type of love song, but it’s still a good love song. If he can write another line like “can you imagine something so beautiful… I can, because I’m looking at you now,” he will be married to the most beautiful woman in the world. His voice sounds like a Sunday afternoon, a nice picnic with a good friend. This track is one of my favorites.
“Now you’re gone ” – arguably the saddest song on the debut, Corey talks about a lost love, a forgotten love. He compares the absence of his love to a bird that has gone south for the year, as well as a person who found God, but ironically was taken by Death. The guitar chords are chunky and heartfelt, and his singing matches his instrument. The great rapper Lil B once said something along the lines of, “If I can’t cry to it, I don’t like it. ” I can cry to this, Andrew Corey. I can cry a lot.
“Lovers lullaby” -While his fingers dance on the fretboard, our singer-songwriter sees a quaint melody about lovers… again. Honestly at this point in the album, the subject of love is slightly tiring for me. He’s not doing anything wrong, but I’m not feeling the subject of love as strongly as I was earlier in this debut. The guitar work is nice, however.
“L.O.V.E.” – Honestly, this song may be his best. This is the catchiest song on the album, with well-written hooks and cleverly worded lyrics. It has a nice, syncopated guitar rhythm, and his voice sounds exceptional on this track. “L-O-V and E, Y-O-U me, us three making moments into memories.” I just think that’s a great line.
“Hold on”- Unfortunately the debut ends on a low note for me. It’s not as bombastic as I would’ve liked the closing track to be. It also goes to show that he could have benefited with some experimentation with vocal harmonies or other instruments to amplify his sound on this album.
All in all, this is a solid debut. He draws direct inspiration from his own heart, and maybe a little bit of Dave Matthews. Andrew Corey proves that if the singer-songwriter apparatus isn’t broken, it doesn’t need to be fixed, but maybe refurbished. Expect to hear A LOT from him in the future.
His album “A Boat, A Ball, Abandoned House” is available for purchase on iTunes and the Google Play Store, so go check it out for yourself!
