As a music career develops there will always be highs and lows. A professional artist must be willing to roll with the punches and find the silver lining even in what seems like the worst of times. Our friend James Keen has been all over the map in his career and has now found his stride returning to his solo roots with his new Crossover album.
The London based songwriter has been known for pouring the influences and inspirations he has gathered into his music. James Keen was born in Australia and then spent a lot of his upbringing in Hong Kong and England. This wide assortment of cultures helps define his unique blend of Pop, Rock, R&B, and Folk. He had great success with his band Magazine Gap releasing 2 well received albums and touring extensively across Europe, North America, and Asia. The pandemic lock downs put a slowdown on that project but also gave James Keen some uninterrupted time to focus on developing his production chops and return to his solo roots.
The result is the brand new Crossover album released today. James Keen offers 11 tracks born out of the depths of isolation and soul searching. Opening with “Show Me What You Got” puts the full sound on display. Top notch production fills the full range of the speakers. Melodies build on top of each other for a complete listen.
On “Yes & No” we get a fun song with real emotion and storytelling entwined. James Keen’s ability to share real thoughts and feelings in his lyrics is impressive. His voice has an elegant style that draws the listener in to really hear what he is trying to say. A nice guitar solo here adds to the complete songwriting that James is known for. “Minutes To Midnight” pushes this even further with some rock energy but subdued enough to mesh in an assortment of influences.
Amazing Lyric Video for ‘Minutes To Midnight’
The title track “Crossover” is a highlight. Smooth songwriting that seems to exude a warm cozy feeling. James Keen fully accepts his multi-inspired sound that blends his wide array of influences together in a beautiful package. (Not to say he will ever let his music be packaged within any mainstream influenced box!) That is very evident on the dance music influenced “Get On Board.” Eclectic melodies and flourishes mesh in and out keeping the listeners attention throughout the 3 minute track.
As we get to the end of the record we hear “On This Rock,” perhaps the most emotion-filled song of the album. The love can be felt both in the lyrics and the elegant instrumentation. A ballad without the over sappy sound that has become trite in mainstream music. Excellent songwriting.
The music will keep flowing for this talented songwriter. Keep up with James Keen HERE.
