Micah Brown – The Isle of Her
1.) Clones Have Feelings Too
2.) Spend Your Sunlight
3.) Good Feelings
4.) The Isle Of Her
5.) Carry Me Away
6.) Lonely Mind Blues
7.) Sunglasses Rag
8.) Greencard Wedding
9.) All That You Need (feat. Matthew and Susie Liufau
10.) Message Meets Body
11.) Summer Again
12.) Deep End
13.) Breaks
14.) Friends (feat. Kat)
The Pier Album Rating:
Release Date: August 28th, 2012
Official Website: Micah Brown Website
Group Background:
Growing up in Lancaster, and now, working out of Dana Point, CA, Micah’s music blends his early musical influences of blues and folk, with the sounds of So Cal that he grew-up on, creating his own unique sound, dubbed “California soul-folk”. Pairing that, with his love for Americana, Micah creates a modern, eclectic twist on the singer-songwriter sound that normally develops out of Southern California.
Over the past year, Micah has shared the stage with artists such as Ben Harper, Ziggy Marley, G. Love, Iration, Mishka & Anuhea. Micah also chimed in on harmonies & back up vocals for Dirty Heads’ new record Cabin By The Sea.
The Isle Of Her is Micah Brown’s debut full length album. After only his debut EP Down Like Hail, Micah could be found achieving local awards such as “Best Folk Winner” and “Best Live Acoustic Winner” the past two years at OC Music Awards in Anaheim, California. His first full-length album was produced by Lewis Richards (Sublime, slightly Stoopid, Dirty Heads) at the 17th Street Recording Studios in Costa Mesa
Album Review:
The Isle Of Her upped the ante; daresay, Micah pushed all-in with pocket aces. On the back of his own talents, includes the guidance of producer Lewis Richards. Not to mention excellent artistic support from several talented musicians and vocalists notably Liufau siblings (Matthew Liufau of Seedless and Susie Liufau) as well as, Kat.
Close attention to detail and a broad ideology resulted with an album of cozy melodies eclipsing several genres. Micah markets a unique handicraft brand of folky Americana with blues “rock-is-back” melodies. When you don’t have to rely on power chords for melody, endless opportunities arise.
Most songs rely on Micah’s beautiful vocals & finger-plucking ability on the acoustic such as within the first single “Spend your Sunlight”. However one of my favorite instruments is Micah’s slide guitar and the violin, boosting the album with an echoed tinge similar to that of the country genre. With “Message Meets Melody”, I was greeted with a layer of violin that seemingly fastened the introspective message into being.
The Isle Of Her certainly is descriptive of a passion against loneliness and immersing in life’s better ambiances. Soul-filled lyrics and folksy tweaks help accentuate Micah’s endearment for Americana music.
The album is also rhythmically divergent; the sounds in Micah’s music don’t run. One of my favorites “Clones Have Feelings Too” runs on pure melody, while “All That You Need” carries a reggae vibe which swings on percussion through the classic reggae skank progression.
Overall, Micah Brown’s songwriting ability and complexity could serve as a role model for a much broader scene. He takes a multifaceted viewpoint into not only writing but in terms of creating melodies. The Isle Of Her splinters the barriers between genres as Micah Brown artistically molded a diverse yet enthralling piece of work.
Written & Reviewed By: Matt Emodi
[Editors Note: All reviews are reflective of the album in it’s entirety, from start to finish. These reviews are the honest opinion of each writer/reviewer, expressing their feedback as a genuine fan of the music. Each star rating reflects their review of the album, not the band. Music is subjective. Regardless of the review or star rating, we encourage you to listen to the music yourself & form your own opinion. Spread the awareness of all music in its art & contribution]