The latest album by Podge Lane is entitled “Common Country Misconceptions” and it is a collection of 10 tracks that follow up on his vision of folk and country sounds which he began on his debut record.
The opening track “Welcome To Paradise” is a nice instrumental intro, which sets the tone for the rest of the album and introduces all the folky elements which we will see scattered around the following tracks. The second track “Paradise” follows on a similarly positive note. It has a lovely upbeat and bright progression and the recurring hook “just another day in paradise” made me smile ear to ear. The vocals have a very bright tone that matches well with the instrumentation and soft percussion that’s full of rimshots. The piano solo was a totally unexpected moment and a very charming climax. “Battle Wounds” is a very beautiful number that touches down on the topic of accepting and being verbal about personal struggles and how they affect our lives. I can say that its lyrics alone made it my favorite song on the album.
“I See You In My Dreams (Tonight #27)” is a slower number with soft and somber guitars and rimshots for percussion. The piano plays a great part in creating the movie-score-like atmosphere that the song has. The story-telling vocals synergize with that element to transmit the listener into a whole experience you can close your eyes and get immersed into. The following track, “Common Sense”, shows some more variety and diversity in the vocal techniques. We can hear some grit and rasp in Podge’s voice, which greatly aids the emotional delivery. The harmonica on this track is one of the most memorable elements of the whole album. “I Wish That I Had Your Life” has some more of those bluesy/folksy-sounding guitars that are full of twang and melody that match those of the vocals very well. I really love how the song sounds desperate yet somehow has a positive overall vibe.
“Too Late” leans towards the more percussive side of compositions on this album. It also has some beautiful vocal layering with added harmonies and a very beautiful chord progression. “History Repeatin'” is another short number that has one of the album’s best choruses in my opinion, and its successor “Change In The Weather” has a similar mood and also revolves around a beautiful piano melody. The tenth and final track “I Wanna Be There (With You)” shows the return of the awesome harmonica from before. The vocals are gritty, emotional, story-telling, and on point throughout the track. It’s one of those songs that makes you want to sit with the artist and ask them how they’ve written such a vocal melody. This track alone felt like it deserves to be a modern classic in the country/folk world.
All in all, this album has great storytelling moments and amazing vocals. The instrumentation has guitars that have a rich tone and well-timed percussion that will make you want to sway and dance along to the melodies. Almost every song will make you want to sing and dance along and the thoughtful songwriting puts this album on the road to becoming a successful and beloved fan favorite.