The peculiar aspect of music and art criticism is that it is predicated on the assumption that one should “criticize" the subject without regard to the intrinsic value of the work cited, and do so mercilessly. Even the word criticism is defined as "disapproval expressed by pointing out faults or shortcomings..." However, I feel that doing so would draw well deserved attention away from the creativity of the artist himself by focusing on areas that are unrelated to the inherent creativity of said artist.
The reality is that I found little fault in Blaine Long’s Honey In My Coffee. The latest of five albums since going solo, Honey was released in June of 2010. The only fault I was able to discover was that I found myself frustrated that I had not heard from this artist sooner.
As with any prodigal son who returns to his home from travels fraught with trials, tribulations, questionable decisions (he dropped out of high school in his sophomore year), enlightened observations, self-doubt and experiential learning, Long has taken these lessons and deftly composed songs that are each "fuzzy focus" musical vignettes that pull the listener in. Long states in his website bio that his personal philosophy is "never write or sing about what you don’t know". It has obviously served him well. Just as you don’t necessarily have to have the blues to sing the blues, it certainly helps and provides a credibility that comes through and gives color to the performance.
The title track "Honey In My Coffee" begins with a slow and easy repetitive southern folk style groove that found me unconsciously nodding my head and swaying in my chair. As the vocals enter, they are warm and easy on the ears. Comparisons are often made in music criticism. If there are comparisons made, it usually means that the artist has yet to find their own vocal style and is channeling a favorite influencing artist. In Long’s case, there are no comparisons needed. It’s refreshing to find an artist, especially a local one, who seems to have developed a personal vocal style that is uniquely his own that both grabs the attention of, and is welcoming to, a passive listener. Frankly, I have often found some of my favorite musical artists that way. In the past I found myself suddenly dropping what I was doing at the moment to quickly note the name of the performer I may have just heard in some snippet of song. Long has that sort of quality.
As a lyricist, Long shows a talent for keeping things simple. There are no great statements of philosophical insight or angry political protests within the songs that Long has penned, just clear and simple tales of life that are comparatively more like short stories rather than soaring epic novels. Long’s musical poetry is the product of his many experiences, both good and bad, and is likely to provide him with a wealth of characters and situations to draw upon for years to come.
Songs like "Big Big Love" could easily find play on indie, college, pop, and country stations. The smooth country shuffle rhythm makes the tune palatable for a broad demographic, especially in a time where the normal response is to specifically define an artist by a particular genre. A fine example of this pigeon holing would be Darius Rucker of Hootie & the Blowfish fame. After going solo Rucker released music that hit the R&B charts and then shocked many of his fans by moving into the direction of country music where he has since garnered considerable success.
