Surrounding Colors

John Mcdonough, “Surrounding Colors”
Reviewed by Kim Walter
It’s funny, the first time that I heard this it didn’t strike me as anything special. Then, I was listening again, and I realized that it is better than I initially thought. The music is interesting and varied, but it’s really when you tune into the lyrics that the whole album takes on a whole new depth. The songs each have grave and serious subject matter (for example #1 is about the Stonewall Riots of 1969 and LGBT rights), and John has some serious historical knowledge and understanding conveyed in a catchy, upbeat, sometimes pop-like roots rock way. The CD itself is also visually stimulating, a burst and swi
rl of color leaps from the packet, a reminder to listen to the colors that surround us. Best: 1, 3, 6, 7

1. Med - 3:05 Catchy Americana sound echoed in guitar
2. Slow/Med - 3:02 Catchy tune with heartfelt emotion
3. Slow/Med - 3:38 Tambourine heavy, relatable lyrics
4. Slow - 4:04 Acoustic ballad with history laden, emotional lyrics
5. Med - 3:03 Indie-Americana rock, grammatical error in song title (!!!)
6. Med - 3:21 Upbeat song from John Denver’s perspective
7. Med - 3:14 I really like the image of Texas in this heavy ballad
8. Med - 4:00 Meandering mellow americana
9. Slow - 2:58 Nice pleading ballad
10. Slow/Med - 3:26 Mellow, infectious message of understanding