BlindHardt is a band from Maryland that is led by Brian Goodwin. The band recently released a self-titled twelve song album Blindhardt that mixes elements of folk and rock. Goodwin mentions “Eight months before the album I had never written a song.” In my opinion that’s almost nothing at all in terms of songwriting. That being said I was interested to hear what this young songwriter has to offer,
“Elizabeth's Song” is the opener and is a simple bohemian style folk song. It’s got a classic melancholy and coffee shop type feeling. It’s stripped and revolves around vocals and guitar. The vocal delivery is solid and I thought the lyrics were well written. It’s a solid start. The next song “Riverside Blues” has a similar foundation but has more instrumentation like bass and percussion. It’s warm and the vocal harmonies sound good. The album starts to go in different directions with “The Bells.” This is more rock based with a blues background. The structure of the song and the riffs sounded familiar like I heard the song before. That being said the delivery is on point. It’s a dynamic sound with a great hook. Next up is this funky party jam entitled “Let Go.” The hook is very catchy and reminded me of alternative rock from the ’90s. “Goodbye Double Time” is fantastic and arguably the highlight. It’s got a nice mix of rock and folk. This felt very aligned with late ’60s music in the spirit of The Velvet Underground. The vocals feel organic and as if they are coming from the soul with a cathartic quality. The album continues with the intimate folk inspired “Just Don't Leave Me Behind” while “Ballad Of Insanity” has some darker qualities which I thought fit really well. The drum sound was on point with “Ballad Of Insanity.” As the album progressed I thought there were a number of highlights including “Welcome to the Operation” and the eight-minute epic “Had To Go Away.” The album ends similarly to where it began with “My Wish.” Goodwin really impressed me. I’ve been producing bands for almost twenty-five years and can unequivocally say Goodwin has some serious talent. My only advice would be to experiment a little more with unconventional chord changes and structure. Goodwin hops around genres a lot which is typical for a new songwriter. In due time I have a feeling Goodwin will find his signature sound. Overall, this is a solid release. Hopefully, this is just the beginning. I look forward to hearing more in the not too distant future.
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