After the success of his latest series of single releases, Michael Lyon released his most emotional yet-to-date and latest album this month. Michael isn’t new to the scene; with his raw lyrics and sweet tunes, he managed to lure in over 2K monthly listeners solely on Spotify. The Stanford graduate never had music on his radar, yet his love for it has always been there silently. His sound could be truthfully described as sweet, and soft, and aims straight to the heart. The artist draws his inspiration and influence from varied artists of different backgrounds like The Beatles, Chuck Berry, Cat Stevens, Neil Young, Mozart, Paul Simon, Jim Croce, and the Everly Brothers.
“What Could Be” is a 14-track album of heartfelt songs and raw topics that are personal to the artist and “seems fitting for a life like mine, with each stage laying a foundation for the one that follows – and a better understanding of the question, WHAT COULD BE.” As described by the artist. The inspiration for some of the songs, like: “How Long it Takes,” started during the pandemic days when life took a different turn for everyone and made us all pause and reflect. The album’s overall mood is optimistic, cheerful, and hopeful for a better tomorrow. Some tunes were hard to miss, like: “Family Tree,” which starts with this soothing guitar intro that sets the mood for what’s next. Another one was “One Man’s War,” which starts with an announcement, making it more like a recitative piece. One that particularly caught my attention and made me feel like I was listening to a musical was “Justice Day,” with its piano accompaniment, creating a lovely duet vibe with the vocals.
The multi-talented artist worked solely on the songwriting and vocals in this album. Along with the instruments played throughout the album: like guitar, piano, strings, and percussion, among others. This album was co-produced and engineered by Paul Horabin, who developed a strong musical connection with Michael that helped them move along the same frequency smoothly. It was mastered by Don Tyler at IO Mastering and recorded at ReadyMix Recording Studios in North Hollywood Van Nuys, California.