Noah James Hittner Flesh & Metal Review by Gary Hill
Given the album title, it would be easy to expect something quite metallic. This isn’t that. It has a lot of folk music, alternative rock, blues and more. While it might not be the hardest rocking thing or edgiest set you’ve ever heard, it never fails to entertain.
This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2016 Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.
Track by Track Review
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This is a pretty folk based number. It has a bit of alternative rock edge to it, too. It’s a bit moody, but it has some energy.
Nothin' to Lose Blues I love this song. It’s full of psychedelia along with a lot of other cool rocking sounds. There is bluegrass, and of course, blues here, too. It’s a fun number that’s very energized.
Stay Beautiful More of a modern electronic pop sound permeates this. It still has enough organic texture to keep it grounded, though. This is catchy and artistic. It just seems to stay around a bit too long for my tastes.
Wonder This is closer to the last tune than to the first two. It’s another strong track. It’s not close enough to be a clone, though. It just lands in the same basic musical territory.
Valley of the Sine Wave I love the slide guitar on this thing. It’s sort of a modern take on a classic slide blues type of sound. It’s a killer tune, too.
The Pines This instrumental is a traveling folk styled tune. It’s another great piece of music.
Stephanie's Interlude Another instrumental, this is in similar territory as the last cut. It’s another strong one. .
Mountain A bluesy folk rocker, this is great stuff. It’s grounded, catchy and just very cool.
Borderline (Take My Time) More of a folk rocker, this is another fun piece.
Change One Thing More energized, this still lands in the vicinity of folk rock. Perhaps it’s more jam band at the same time.
Three Miles Wide This is close to the modern pop side of things. It’s no less effective, though.
Name It Modern pop rock merges with blues and soulful sounds on this cool song. In some ways it’s not far removed from house music.
When, Indeed Mostly an instrumental, this is very much an intricate folk song.
Chasing The closer is an acoustic guitar based rocker with a lot of blues in the mix.
