https://soundcloud.com/michael-armstrong-60/johannesburg
The track above, ‘Johannesburg’ featuring Steely Dan guitarist Elliott Randall and top saxophonist Ed Barker, is fitting opener to the new album from singer-songwriter Michael Armstrong. It takes many of the elements that will come to define the rest of the album, and introduces them all in one tiny three and a half minute package.
Upbeat in nature, it is based around a simple enough combination of chords and vocals, but adds colours and textures throughout to draw listeners in. The lyrics tell a tale that’s both fun and poignant. And guest musicians add the finishing touches.
These elements, in various formations, are the foundations on which Michael Armstrong’s debut album is built. He uses special soloists sparingly but well, uses emotions in his lyrics without getting caught up in them, and circles these elements around structures both familiar and unfamiliar throughout.
The album is out on Monday, and if the track above appeals then there’s plenty more where that came from.
