Editors Note: This Review was accidentally given to two reviewers. So it is reviewed twice on the website.
By Clara Tsac
A.M Stryker strikes an emotional note in acoustic blues with debut album The Lion’s Share. The Minneapolis music veteran has lent his creative talents to such projects as The Spirit of ’76, Satellite Voices, Deleter, and We Are The Willows, and his first solo album is produced and released by Homestead Records.
A.M Stryker introduces The Lion’s Share on his website as a “softer, more painful side of himself,” reflecting on “…the shared experience with his wife of moving to another country and losing a loved one who’s thousands of miles away. A story that ultimately ended in a divorce and a journey back home.” Carrying heartfelt lyrics on gentle harmonies, Stryker debuts with what songwriting often comes down to: A human being, some heartbreak, and a guitar.
In the music video for his first track, “A Breath Let Go,” Stryker is standing by himself playing the guitar as a variety of locations flash past in the background. The juxtaposition of a solo guitar player to every destination he travels, establishes a sense of profound loneliness.
Wherever he goes, it’s just him and his music. A bluesy, soft acoustic minimalism is carried through the song and the rest of the album, where the most percussive he gets are occasional guitar taps.
The pleasant chords contrast with touching lyrics, making Stryker’s debut album a beautifully sad, exquisitely lonely expression of human experience.
http://www.thehomesteadrecords.com/amstryker/
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