The Life Of Someone I Once Knew
Rockershop, 2021
8/10
Listen to The Life Of Someone I Once Knew
A singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist from Ohio, Adrian John Szozda cultivates a very unique brand of indie-rock where folk, roots, psychedelic and blues are part of his diverse formula that takes help from Zac Dowell, Bobby May and several others.
The title track starts the listen with warm guitar as Szozda’s flowing vocals enter the timeless folk rock climate that’s quite poetic, and “Terrified Romantic” follows with playful acoustic guitar alongside a more rugged approach that benefits from Keith Roach’s proficient drumming and soothing backing vocals.
Close to the middle, “Wanderlust” emits some rasp in Szozda’s pipes as the swirling resonator guitar makes an impression, while “Barefoot In The Rain” welcomes Aaron Rutter’s well timed violin amid the breezy Americana climate. Elsewhere, “Bloodstream” makes good use of Szozda’s banjo acrobatics as both grit and melody interact superbly in the album highlight.
Approaching the end, the intricate guitar work and expressive singing of the indeed bluesy “Baby Blues” showcases tremendous skill, and the romantic and string friendly “Wedding Song” glows with an emotive quality that’s both dreamy and memorable.
A record that tells a story about love in a non-traditional sense, Szozda is also the front man of both The Blue Hook and Octoberfield Report, but let’s hope that he continues to find time for solo work, too, cause his versatile vision makes for a very inviting listen.
Travels well with: Keith Curtis- Happiness Is Hard; Jay Stott- Wreckage Of Now