The Folk Sounds of Tom McKenzie and His Self-Titled Album.
Tom McKenzie – York, England, United Kingdom.
York based Tom McKenzie has been finding his way in the world of dulcet and delicate Folk music since 2007 with his discography plucking its way further up the fret-board so to speak since 2010, with the recently released self-titled marking release number four.
Its far too easy to dismiss singer-songwriters in the modern music scene, with those who do make it “big” marketed as either the only person in the world capable of playing acoustic guitar or at least the only one worth a listen. The whole process is absurd of course but that is sadly often the way of it.
Tom McKenzie on the other hand is one you should certainly take time to engage yourself with, for his Indie-tinged Folk music is quite frankly a pleasure both to feature and to review.
The new album was entirely recorded using acoustic sounds which is clear from the opening notes of ‘Over The Hills’, where a very simple, grass roots sound is full of vigour despite its softer and traditional origins. ‘Over the Hills’ is the perfect Pop song, playful, tuneful and wearing its heart on its sleeve.
‘Jigsaw’ reminds you musically of Chuck Ragan and his solo work and is just as playful and attractive as its predecessor in it’s somewhat typical but welcome English Folk.
Bar the drums and percussion lovingly played by a Mr. Sam Bull, during the recoding process all the instruments used were recorded by Tom McKenzie himself including Folk music staples such as, mandolins, fiddles, banjos and a double bass.
Half way though the album takes a more sombre root with the likes of ‘September’ and the heartfelt and dulcet tones of love loss in, ‘Little Bird’. ‘Start Again’ on the other hand carries a Blues quirk and welcomes back a high tempo before its attitude spills into the mischievous grin of ‘Give It A Go’.
‘Sleep Well, Good Night’ would make a perfect soundtrack for a media or film production and shows Mr. McKenzie’s vocals at their lowest pitch in another album highlight.
‘All Summer’ ranks as my personal favourite in its almost haunting but relatable reminisce of the time you wished would never subside and fall to change.
‘Something New’ and ‘Walk Away’ close an album that in its entirety fails to disappoint and would be as perfect for a cold winter night cozied-up by the fire or on a beautiful summers day when you simply need to get away.
Find the album and all things Tom McKenzie below:
- For updates, head to Facebook, Twitter and his Official Website.
- Tom McKenzie’s music can be found on iTunes, Spotify, Amazon, Google Play and bandcamp, with the latter featuring hardcopies.
- For streaming, head to SoundCloud and Spotify.
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