Iggy Igloo - you are not alone

Iggy Igloo

You Are Not Alone
self-released; 2014

3.3 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

It’s just Iggy Igloo and his banjo on his release Cryin' to the Sky. The album is incredibly raw, recorded in one take and feels incredibly heartfelt. The deep emotion that resides throughout the album is not something you can fake in my opinion. For Igloo that melancholy and strife you can feel on the album comes from his time on the streets battling alcohol addiction. 

Igloo is often off key and doesn’t have a voice that will be winning any singing competitions but a majority of time it works on Cryin' to the Sky. Some songs he was much more than a little bit off key and that’s where I started to draw the line.

The first track is called “You Are Not Alone” and the first line is “Stranded on a road, with nowhere, nowhere to go, only the night to keep you warm there is one thing you should know.” When he sings the chorus, “You are not alone” it sounds like he is trying convince himself of that fact rather than imparting a nugget of truth to the listener. His voice sounds as if he is about to break. For some reason I thought of Tom Waits at this moment who I could see singing a version of this song.

“Maya” is probably the best vocal performance as he doesn’t hit too many sour notes. Like the first song it is drenched in pain and melancholy but works on multiple levels. The next two tracks “Cryin' to the Sky” and “Kelly Thomas (Hands Up, Don't Shoot)” don’t have uplifting lyrical content but the energy is a bit more lively than on the first two tracks.

Igloo closes with “I Want Too Marry A Dancer.” I really liked the lyrics and melody but unfortunately it is the most off key performance on the release.

Cryin' to the Sky was enjoyable because of its honesty. Igloo sings from his experiences and I don’t think that's something that can be taught. From a clearly musical perspective Igloo is going to want to work on making sure he is hitting the right notes more often. I don’t mind a slightly sour note as it is a very human thing but too many can surely become an unenjoyable experience. All things considered Cryin' to the Sky is worthy of some of your time.

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