Greetings dearest gentle reader and music lovers, Let’s welcome the UK band Denim Dan. The band is made up of Gordon Kent on keys, Mike Nirack and Joe Nuecome on bass, Dave Gellis on guitar Ron Petrecelli on flute, Lorenzo Crescibene on drums, Michael Halitzer, aka Denim Dan, on guitar and vocals, Joey Simpson on harmonica. On 2nd September, the band released a 20-song album called “Denim Dan’s 25th Anniversary (1999-2024)” Let’s talk more about the album

The first song on the album is “3 AM (I Call You Up)”. The song opens with an incredibly gentle melody. The song is about a character who is unable to get over his ex and keeps on calling her, even at odd hours (”told me I’d never fall again”). This character is just holding on to a broken relationship that has ended. The song is sad yet relatable to every single one of us. The vocal performance is very beautiful and the instrumentation is on a whole other level and that electric guitar solo??? Was the bomb? This song is top-tier entertainment and joy. The song creates the path listeners should follow to get into the groove of the album

Next is the song” Not Always Skies of Blue”. The intro of this song is powerful and vibrant. The song basically teaches listeners that life never stays the same and that change is inevitable (”no peace without pain”). This song has a kick mid-song in the form of an electric guitar solo, the kind that makes you weak in the knees and become a groupie no matter how old you are. This part of the song is hard to recover from but the greatness does not end there, there is yet another electric guitar solo that you would kill to hear live

“Taking it slow” is the next song on the album. The harmonica and drum beat as the intro is perfect. We meet the character in the song who has found a person he loves and decides to not rush the relationship like he had done in previous relationships (”I don’t care how long it takes, with her I don’t want to make a mistake, whoa whoa whoa, I’m taking it slow “). The song gives you this retro vibe because of the harmonica sound and solo. The song is very beautiful and the electric guitar solo towards the end is amazing and ties up the song nicely

Next is “Don’t throw it away”. The song opens with beautiful keys and guitar fusion. The song is about a relationship where one part of the couple is wasting the opportunities in the relationship and in doing so has taken his or her partner for granted. Though he or she doesn’t want his or her partner to stay he or she wants to be treated well, not as an afterthought(”you’ve been given a gift, don’t throw it away. The song is performed in such an effortless way that is exciting to hear

“Life has just begun” is the title of the next song. An electric guitar sound is what you hear as soon as the track begins. The song is teaching listeners that they can tabula rasa their lives, which means that we can get a new slate and start life afresh. The song is performed in a part vocal and half feels like spoken word. There is an electric guitar solo that you should look forward to towards the end of the song, ending in a very nice flourish

Next comes the song “Come back home”. The song opens with very captivating flute sounds. The character in the song is begging a loved one who has been away to come back home, no matter what they have been(”I don’t care where you’ve been, come back home”). The song’s theme reminds me of the biblical parable, “The prodigal son”. Like the character in the song, the father of the prodigal son just wanted his son to come home and also didn’t care what his son had done or where he had been. This is a type of love that everyone seeks and I applaud the band for reminding listeners of what wholesome love looks like. There is a flute solo that is breathtaking and will enthrall you

Next is the song “Let Your Love Fall Down on Me (too)”. There is a spicy guitar riff and keyboard sound that welcomes you to this tune. The song talks about how through love and because of love, humans are able to take on and conquer daring and life-threatening stuff and the character in the song asks his or her lover to prove his or her love by doing said feats(”let your love fall down on me”). The song talks about the effects of love and the power it holds. There is another spicy electric guitar solo mid-song that will magnetize you. The song is beautiful and the message in the song is endearing and heartwarming

“Bernalillo Baby” is the title of the next song. The song has a chill vibe right from the start. The character in the song tells another person that she or he will forever love and have a special place in his or her heart and life(” You’ll always be my bernalillo baby”). The song has majestic vibes that are impossible to ignore

Next is the song “The Moment”. The sounds preppy and synth-pop when it starts. The song encourages listeners to trust their instinct and their gut and to not follow through on decisions they know will ultimately end up in disaster (”the moment you feel it could go wrong”). The song has then retro electronica vibe that is very mesmerizing

Next is the song “We are who we are”. The song opens with lively instrumentation. The song teaches listeners to live their lives authentically unapologetically and without fear(” We are who we are”). The song is inspiring and the instrumentation is nothing short of amazing

Next is the song “It Got to Be Love”. The song opens with a sweet guitar and harmonica fusion. The song introduces a character who is trying to woo a lady, as corny as this pickup line is, the character refuses to give up and is completely convinced that what he’s feeling can only mean that he’s fallen in love with her (did it hurt when you fell from heaven”). The song is a little slow and it breathes new life into the album with its musicality, especially the flute solo

“Down by the river’s bend flow”. The intro sounds like a synth-pop song till the other instruments chime in. This title of the song is a prominent line in the Disney Pocahontas animation adaptation where she sings about the beauty and richness of nature around flowing water, just the song is saying(”treasure what we’ve got”). The instrumentation of this song is what holds this amazing song together and will captivate listeners

“Guess I’ll be alright” is the song that is up next. The song is cheery and upbeat right from the start. when the song starts, the character talks about how hard life can be sometimes and how turning to alcohol was not the answer he needed. The lesson the character wishes to teach is that sometimes life is hard but you need to remind yourself that things get better and that you will be okay (”guess I’ll be alright”). The vocal performance is crisp, the instrumentation outstanding and the song that is churned out is flawless

Next is the song “Remind Me”. The song opens with a beautiful melody. The song is about a character who feels invisible and is clearly screaming out for help or attention(” Can you see me, can you hear me, can you take me where I need to go “). He asks to be reminded that he is worthy and has something important to give so that he is cheered up(” Remind me so I’ll no longer feel sad”). The song will take you on such a roller coaster of emotions that you will not forget

Next is the song” Things have changed”. The song opens with a delightful guitar strum. The song describes a character who used to care about something but now doesn’t have a care in the world (”I used to care but things have changed”). There is a beautiful guitar solo that will outstand you and you will fall in love with it and with the song.

Next is a song called “No Lies in Blue Skies”. The guitar and keyboard sounds in the beginning are just brilliant. The character in the song is begging someone to do anything they wanted to him or her except tell him or her lies(”but don’t tell Me lies”). The song features some heavenly female backing vocals that completely elevate the song and the electric guitar solo is the icing on the cake that listeners will enjoy thoroughly

Next is the song “Where the Sun Don’t Shine”. The song opens with very operatic flute and piano notes. The song talks about cliches that people use to describe situations that are bad (”where the sun doesn’t shine”). The song has saxophone solos that give the song a jazz feel and The female backing vocals make the song transcend into a higher level of class and sophistication

“Let it Flow” is the next song up next on the album. The drum beat and guitar at the beginning of the song is very addictive. The song itself talks about letting what will happen happen and allowing the nature of the situation to unfold by itself. Can the guitar solo in this song get a standing ovation, a heavy round of applause, and an encore?!!!!. It was just spectacular and very magical

Next is the song “Go where life leads you”. The song starts with bright and glacial guitar sounds and a lovely drum beat. The song celebrates spontaneously and takes every chance that life presents because life is short and encourages listeners to do the same. There is yet another electric guitar solo that is just fantastic and better than any other guitar sound you’ve ever heard.

The last song on the album is called “It’s You”. The song’s intro is a cheery, light, and fun guitar riff. The song introduces a character who is enamored with a lady. He goes into great detail about the little things that she does that convince him that she is the one for him(” It’s you”). The electric guitar solo reminds you of the other songs that feature it and you remember and experience again what you felt in that moment

This album was definitely worth listening to and there was no song among the twenty songs that I felt like skipping because they were all so awesome. There was never a dull moment on this album, each song was fresh and exciting with the songs that came next were even more exciting and fresh. The band is very talented and I can’t wait to see what happens next

Stream the “Denim Dan’s 25th Anniversary (1999-2024)” album on Spotify

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