In our modern ‘no attention span’ society the art of the album has fallen by the wayside. Both fans, and many musicians seem to just want the quick 3 minute single that can be digested quickly and then forgotten about just as quickly. For real lovers of music like myself, this is not satisfactory. There are few things better than being sucked into a full album with a story that takes you away from the real world for an hour or so. Our recent discovery Adrian John Szozda is ready to do just that with his new album The Life Of Someone I Once Knew.
Hailing from Toledo, Ohio, the singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist has been involved in many musical projects through the years. From his psychedelic Blues rock band The Blue Hook to his reggae influenced band Octoberfield Report, Adrian John Szozda is a musician that can seemingly go in any musical direction the mood calls for. Even with all his musical talent, at his heart Adrian is a storyteller.
For his new solo album The Life Of Someone I Once Knew, released on July 16th, we are gifted with a fully encompassing story that we are welcome to experience with him. Adrian John Szozda could work as an author as well. Let me share an excerpt of his description of the album:
Our story begins with our hero and heroine, faces to the wind, wild ones on the edge of everything, looking for the timeless, yet love…. yet love is an elephant, she’s selling lies and fairy tales to a guy that’s never won. Why commit his soul to burning love when he knows nothing lasts? He’s young and wild and he’s terrified of nothing, except love. He is in full indulgence, Invincible, a romantic, passionate, pushing every boundary, embracing every freedom, youth at its best, the end of the perfect movie. It’s not like our young troubadour to get attached, but this girl pulls, her anchor has started to catch, dragging along the bottom, the drift slows and begins to fight the wind.
As the album begins with the title track “The Life Of Someone I Once Knew” the smooth vocals of Adrian John Szozda open up the door for the listener to get a full view of the story that is about to unfold. The elegant guitars welcome us in with a relaxing tone to open our minds.
The relaxed tone continues on “The Anchor” but there is a much darker vibe as we see the potential faults of this newfound romance. The vocals share this vibe delivered in a hushed way that makes us lean in to catch an idea of how we can relate to the story. More fancy guitar fills show off his talent with that instrument as well.
We get a happier tone with “Wanderlust” as the joyful parts of the romance and life around it are shared. A peppy guitar melody leads the way to help paint the picture. “Barefoot In The Rain” does much of the same with a country/americana influence as the singer questions his happiness. The joy rises again but in a slower beat with “Everything Roses.”
The twists and turns of the story continue throughout the album. But the closer “Wedding Song” seems to signify that it will all work out in the end. Some folk influence comes in but Adrian takes it to a higher level with his masterful use of instruments to fill the full breath of the speakers. This is a record that demands a laid back listen from top to bottom to let yourself get fully absorbed into the beautiful tale the songwriter shares.
You can find more from Adrian John Szozda on his website and socials here:
https://www.adrianjohnszozda.com
https://twitter.com/AdrianSzozda
