May 18, 2017
BJ Barham - Rockingham
As I sit here after a very hard day at the job I love I am enjoying a nice cold beer and talking to the love of my life on the phone I realize how great my life really is even though it is tough 80% of the time. As I got home from work I had a butt load of stuff I had to do when I got home. Laundry, more laundry, put away dinner, then the blog. Do not get me wrong I have probably the least amount of responsibilities out of any grown adult. I live a pretty great life, but there still things that need done during the day and I still catch myself complaining about life. I promise this blog won't turn into a lifestyle blog or anything like that. The only reason I bring that up is because BJ sings about all those things in this album. He sings songs that remind me of the love of my life. The love we share and how I would do anything for her and to see her smile. He sings about small towns like the one I live in and what they mean to the people that live there. So much of this album is what I know, what I have lived. BJ is also the singer and songwriter for another band I love called American Aquarium. I seem to love this album more than I do any album that American Aquarium has put out. This is a short album that satisfies your need for folk music, but not have it be overbearing. Although I love this album it also equally confuses me. BJ has many songs that kinda contradict himself. He has the song "Madeline" which sounds like to me he is singing to a daughter, but he posted an Instagram post on May 6th, 2017 of him and his wife at the Kentucky Derby saying that it was on their bucket list. They were wanting to accomplish a lot of their bucket list before starting a family. BJ also has the song "Unfortunate Kind" Which sounds like to me he is singing about loving a woman without fail. Going through life with her then her getting sick and passing away. His wife is still alive. I think.... Unless he had another wife. I kinda envisioned him talking to his grandpa or someone he knew and asking how his life was with the love of their life and them telling them that story and BJ writing a song about it. I may be right I may be wrong. That is one of the fantastic things about this album you can make it mean whatever you want. If you want to not know a single thing about BJ and think that he lost his wife or he is singing to his daughter then you can. If you want to learn about him and what he has in his life and think about what the songs might be about you can do that too and make up your own story of what it is. This album matches a lot of everything that people deal with. It can be the love of your life or the sadness of life itself. I think everyone can find something in this album. A lot of my favorite lines come from this album. On the song "Madeline" BJ has "I learned that we are taught not born with evil." and "Go out and find a boy that doesn't gamble with emotions and looks at you the way your mother looks at me." and "Hearing your own voice is the hardest part of singing. That should never stop you from trying to sing." The other song that has fantastic lines is "Water in the Well" a song that is on this album plus an American Aquarium album. The line that hits the most is. "I hear there's work in Richmond and some in New Orleans, but outside that Clarke County line is a world I've never seen. The paper says that the times are tough and the money's running low, but the bottom doesn't look so bad when the bottom's all you know. Dear heavenly father, I've come before you now. A bottle's in my left hand, a pistol's to my brow. The preacher says salvation will cleanse all my bad deeds, but I could never forgive myself for failing my family." That whole entire verse is so powerful. That is just something you don't get with pop music. Feeling. I think everyone would be able to relate to this album and everyone should check it out! I give this album 🔫🔫🔫🔫🔫 out of five! Extravagant!
Favorite Tracks!
- Water In The Well
- Reidsville
- Madeline
I do not own any of the pictures or songs associated with this review. All rights belong to BJ Barham.
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