(Photo Credit - Merrick Ales)
Album Review - Strand of Oaks: In Heaven (October 1, 2021)
Singer/songwriter Tim Showalter (aka Strand of Oaks) is back with new album In Heaven which drops everywhere this Friday. Ahead of the release of the album, Showalter has released singles, "Galacticana", "Jimi & Stan", and "Somewhere in Chicago", all of which have experienced success. Via press release, Showalter had this to say on the album: “'In Heaven' was created with so much love and my greatest hope is that it connects with people and provides a momentary space for reflection, joy, catharsis and whatever else someone might be looking for in their life. Music is magic and I feel like the luckiest person in the world that I'm allowed to share it.” If you've paid attention to Showalter's social media ahead of this week, you'll find his sentiments to be true.
Showalter songs with such crispness that instantly evoke feelings in a way that I haven't seen since Ryan Adams early days (minus Ryan Adams being a terrible person obviously). The music that comes from Strand of Oaks brings the right amount of rock with bits of folk in a way that not many can do successfully.
On In Heaven, Showalter somehow finds a way to expand on his rock sound with vast forays on guitar in tracks that leave you in awe of the grand stage he's set. One such track that comes to mind is "Hurry" Showalter effortlessly plays with the scale in this track in a way that many musicians dream they could. At the same time, Showalter can play on a smaller scale on tracks like "Somewhere in Chicago", the scope is flexible for him. For me, there aren't many better in the business at building to a musical expanse that Strand of Oaks is. For fans, this is must have music from Showalter. For those who haven't heard of his work, start here then work your way around! Rating - 5/5