Happy Ashtray

Singer-songwriter-guitar strummer light folk-pop music. Vocals are confident and competent. Arrangements are “just right” – not too sparse, not bombastic. There is a small-ish range of styles evident here but that’s still better than being a Johnny One-Note (or John Swamy, as the artist is known in real life) or going way outside the comfort zone. The artist plays most instruments. The artist is also involved in cranking out commercial soundtracks (so some of these songs may also pop up in a car ad someday) and it shows, as these songs are easy on the ears and professionally done.

1. Semi-peppy and very catchy
2. Slower and more fully arranged with piano and rhythm section
3. Bluesy slide guitar; whistling accompaniment is amusing
4. Nice Fender-Rhodes sound – reminiscent of Three Dog Night’s rendition of “Mama Told Me Not To Come” in arrangement and melody
5. Slower and more of a nasal whine on the vox
6. Subdued
7. Almost a novelty tune in the vein of “Loser” with droll vocals and ill-tempered lyrics, but the instrumental is way peppy nonetheless; “shit”
8. The inevitable breakbeat-driven folk song
9. Light rock; no more
10. Folky picking and vulnerable vocals
11. More light rock-pop
12. Excellent electric piano and FX-ed guitar instrumental
13. Slow and melodious folk
14. A bit of steel guitar to give a country blues ambiance