Greetings dearest gentle reader and music fans out there, welcome to our blog. Today we take a look at the work of Joe Hodgson. Guitarist Joe Hodgson is from Ballymagorry, County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. His music, influenced by his background during the Troubles, is reminiscent of the Emerald Isle’s harsh rain and winds. Hodgson’s second solo album, “Fields Of Redemption,” a fifteen-song album that was released on June 20th. Let’s talk more about the record.
The title track of the album is “The Grass Is Greener”. The song opens with bright and vibrant guitar sounds. The sound of the guitar sounds keeps building and it makes listening to this song so hopeful and so bright. I mean, the electric guitar melody was unlike anything I’ve ever heard. It was precise and coherent. Whoever said we can’t enjoy music with no lyrics was totally ignorant. The song had no lyrics but it spoke to me. It made me feel grateful for having life each day and challenged me to take it one day at a time and embrace every opportunity. With this song, listeners get a glimpse of what the album is going to be and it is beautiful
Next is the song “Shapeshifting”. The guitar riff that opens the album is so heavenly and so sick. I was on my air guitar for the duration of the song, trying to imitate the rich sound I was listening to. With or without the drum beat, this song is still a solid ten out of ten
“Stick or twist” is the next song on the record. This song has a similar melody to the AC/DC song that became the soundtrack of the highly popular Iron Man movies. I loved this amazing song and I wanted to play it over and over again
“You Think of” is the next song on the album. In this song, the melody is soft and beautiful. It slows down the album. I was in thought throughout this song, just reflecting on my life and life itself. This song was profoundly beautiful
“Give her what she wants” is the title of the next track. The song is fast-paced and exciting. I was up on my feet, feeling the rhythm and the groove of the music
Next up is “woman”. In this song, every strum and every note is intricate and delicate. The guitar work is fancy and extremely breathtaking. This song is soothing and also very thrilling. I got full body goosebumps listening to it and I never wanted it to end
Next is “since you had a hold on me. The song opens with a nice blues/country melody from the start. In the song, we meet a character who realizes that he’s been made a fool of. He was promised love but ultimately was manipulated by a person who didn’t really love him(“It’s been a long time since you had a hold on me”). The vocal performance and the instrumentation do a good job of portraying a person who is in despair. The guitar solo was so perfect, it brought tears to my eyes
“Losing it” is the next song on the album. The song opens with a strong and upbeat melody. Next comes the electric guitar solo that is just out of this world. Now I say that because I have never heard any harmony that is as beautiful harmony with the moving parts that all work beautifully together
“Blocking it out” is the next song on the record. The song opens in an upbeat way. Aside from the guitar sounds, the song features vibrant instrumentation that gives you a very healing and enjoyable vibe. This was a fun experience and I would really really like to hear this live one day
“Passing Time (Molly’s song)” is what the next song is called. This song opens with beautiful stringed instruments. This song brings the jazz vibes to this album which is a nice change of genre that listeners will go nuts about
Next up is “digging for dirt”. Right from the start, this song promises to be a good time. The song is exciting and foot-tapping. I had a really good time with this song. The melody made me want to get up on my feet and dance my worries away
“Picking you apart” is the next track. It opens with a very emotive and captivating melody. The mouth percussion gave this song a really classical and polished feel. This is yet another song that spoke to me. Every string and every note had something deep and raw to tell. This song really touched me because it was so angelic and effortlessly stunning
Up next is “ducking and diving”. Wanna go to the rodeo?, This song is for you. The song uses upbeat country-infused instrumentation. Within the song, listeners get a crazy switch between country and country rock. The song seems to be a lot of different genres all in one, a quality this song has that can’t be replicated
The second to last song is called “Moran’s dew (Tom’s song)”. The song opens with a very preppy and upbeat guitar melody. Throughout the song; you will find yourself clapping or foot tapping along to the best of the song. It’s infectious, that’s the right word to describe it so, let go and let loose, this song was made to be enjoyed and the least we can do is to enjoy it
The last song on the album is called “The Ballad of Joe Clarke”. This song introduces listeners to another genre that the artist added to this album. This song is kind of a sea shanty or fable-like song which is fitting as the song seems to be about a man named Joe Clarke. I imagined being transported to the past and going to the tavern to drink some mead and hear stories about Joe Clark. A song that gives you a narrative without lyrics is a song that is powerful and listeners will love this immersive experience. This wonderful song ends the album
This song is a wildly expansive and passionate, boldly mixing rock, blue, jazz, and Irish traditions into wonderfully composed instrumentals that reveal a diverse performer. The record is almost entirely instrumental and spans, combines, and bends musical genres, as is customary. I heard a little bit of every genre in this album and this is a wonderful addition to the artist’s discography. I loved this album and o can’t wait to hear more music from this artist
Stream the “Fields of redemption” on Spotify
Follow Joe Hodgson here and on his socials; X, Facebook, Instagram
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