Greetings dearest gentle readers lets welcome James Keen. James, an Australian by birth, was raised in Hong Kong and is now a resident of London; his diverse background is evident in all of his music. His time with the well-known UK band MAGAZINE GAP demonstrates a deeply reflective yet melodically warm style—qualities that are still evident in his solo album

“Crossover.” The album was released on 6th September. Composed as a way to escape, the album offers listeners the same kind of experience: a timeless collection of modern pop-rock and acoustic songs enhanced by exquisite melodies and hypnotically evocative guitar solos that aim to genuinely uplift and connect it also sheds light on how a pandemic affects a musician who had been waiting for time to complete his artistic journey. Let’s talk more about the album

The first song is called “Show me what you got”. The song opens with bold and beautiful string instruments and mouth percussions. The song talks about a relationship that has deteriorated over time(”and so embrace it, as we run out the clock”). He tells her that they’ve been putting this situation off for a while (”we’ve been dancing it around “)and that it is time to face their problems. Keen has a beautiful voice that compliments the guitar melody perfectly. There is also a guitar solo that will give you goosebumps because of how awesome it is and it is the perfect song to usher listeners into the album

Next up is the song “Flying or Falling”. The song starts with a soft guitar strum and Keen starts singing about a character who asks help from his partner(”I know I can’t do this without you”). He then proceeds to show her around. This place he’s showing her can be either a metaphor for his mind or where he lives (” But hey let me show you around”). The song is soft and has extremely beautiful instrumentation(a guitar solo that will leave you stunned and speechless) and vocal performance. The song gives you an out-of-body experience to visualize the message in the song

“Yes and No” is the song up next. The song opens with upbeat and cheery guitar sounds. The song talks about a persona who is unsure about his stance on a particular issue and hopes that his partner will come around and agree with him (”sooner or later I know you’re gonna come around, cos my position is still a clear yes and no”). Can we give a moment to guitar solo?! It was show stopping. The song is foot-tapping and extremely preppy and lighthearted

Next is the track “Minutes to Midnight”. This song starts with an exciting guitar and drum beat. The song talks about politics in general (”it’s a tinder box ready to blow”)and how leaders handle tough situations. The song is very fast-paced yet extremely enjoyable and there is yet another guitar solo that is gorgeous the song ends with a ticking clock sound that is unique and immersive

“Crossover” is the title of the next song. The song jumps right into the vocal performance. The song talks about a healthy and loving relationship and the persona feels lucky to have found her(”just a guy who got lucky”.). He celebrates his crossover into a loving relationship (”and I love the crossover”). The song is passionate and relatable and it breathes new life into the album, ending the song with such a flourish that is unlike anything you have ever heard

“Compromise” is the title of the next song. This song has light and airy guitar strums. The song shows listeners a character who is ready to meet his lover in the middle and be persuaded to change his decisions(” So come on let’s meet in the middle”). This song shows off Keen’s vocal range as he sings in an unbelievably beautiful falsetto. This song also has a gorgeous electric guitar solo which is to die for

Next up is the song “Get on Board”. The opening of the song is a synth-like soft rock intro. The song talks about a persona who has finally found someone who he can envision when he sees or plans his future (”and look to seal it with a kiss, so get on board”) and tries to convince her to accept him. The song is interesting and takes you on one amazing roller coaster music ride

Next is the song “Glow in the Dark”. The song starts with vibrant instrumentation and a choral background mouth percussions. In the song, the character is telling a story about a woman who broke his heart (” She came out of nowhere and left me a broken man”). He then says that he was blinded by her beauty and how she sparkled(”I was blinded by a beauty I misunderstood, that she could glow in the dark”). The backing vocals chiming into the song are incredibly satisfying and gorgeous and let us not forget about the trumpet which gives the song a jazz vibe

Next is the song titled “Crash Landed” The song opens with a synth sound that buzzes through your ears before the guitar starts. This country-infused song talks about a character who is talking about how he made a mess of himself and was not rescued by anyone at that time(”because I crash landed on my own and no one came to my rescue”). After talking about his folly and mishaps he talks about meeting his partner and how she changed everything about him(”Thank God I met you.”) The song was heartfelt and very moving and will give you chills, the good kind

Next is a song called “On This Rock”. The song goes right into the vocal performance after the very first note is played. The song is a pledge from the song’s character to the love of his life (”to the love of my life, I say on this rock we’ll build out home”). Not only does he pledge his undying love but assures his partner to rely on him to be with her forever(” I’ll always be there for you, forever on your side”). The song has a very heartwarming message and shows the beauty of a healthy and loving relationship and the instrumentation on this track is heavenly and very pleasant

The last song on this album is “The Ballad of Abraham Jones”. The song opens with acoustic and electric guitar sounds. The song recounts a character’s encounter with a drifter named Abraham Jones who was looking for a place to settle down. Our character has a couple of drinks with Abraham and they begin to exchange stories about their lives after they find out they are kindred spirits and they have a hard and unforgettable night. Abraham was a talented soul who moved to LA to pursue a movie career but never reached the fame he left his estranged wife and wayward son for. Because of his poor judgment he was living out of his car and surviving on paycheck to paycheck. As they talked Abraham told him that life is unpredictable and they spoke about faith and how he turned to the bottle because he didn’t have faith. They also spoke about how words carry deep meaning. The character tells Abraham that though he isn’t a trained musician, he can sing about things that matter. After they exited the bar they promised to forget that night and everything they said to each other. This was a song with a very compelling storyline because the lyrics are easy to understand and very descriptive so you could picture the two men in the bar and the conversation they had. With this captivating song, the album comes to an end

James Keen, went back to his origins with this album was written, recorded, performed, produced, and mixed entirely by Keen, yet it still has a lot of variation in terms of sounds, genre-blending, and musical complexity. With a timeless collection of modern pop-rock and acoustic songs enhanced by exquisite melodies and genuinely mesmerizing guitar solos, the work aims to inspire and establish genuine connections. James is a star and is well on his way to complete domination

Stream the “Crossover” album on Spotify or SoundCloud.

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