Joey English - 'Haven't Been Myself'
Joey English, singer songwriter from Knoxville, Tennessee, encourages us to embark on a journey of reflection and self-acceptance in his latest single 'Haven’t Been Myself' taken from his current album 'Sun Baby,’ released August 21st.
The track wastes no time cementing the theme with Joey English almost soulfully confessing "I don’t think the monsters ever left, they're just wearing different clothes." An honest and powerful opening which sets the tone for self-reflection.
Although the song lyrically touches on personally confrontational issues, the overall tone to the track is quite the opposite. In contrast it is warm and almost sleepy. Images of lazy days at the beach, staring at the sea and enjoying the tranquility of it all are drawn to mind. And it’s these lyrics - that can be beautifully visual in places - which work with the music to evoke these images and feeling. “I drank all the blue out of the sky, like a sailor without a song.”
The vocal melody throughout the track lets the music breath, especially the bass with its vintage tone filling the gaps between lead vocal. It's easy to draw on the influences of Bob Dylan when considering many a folk song and although 'Haven't Been Myself' is clearly not completely void of Dylan’s influence, the track certainly has more a Neil Young 'Harvest' vibe to it. The lead electric guitar before the second verse adds a splash of the blues to the track but it’s the sound of the almost haunting organ throughout that gives the song a strange surreal feel. A nod, perhaps, to the weird and wonderful world of the band Neutral Milk Hotel.
Continuing the subject of the weird, a topic that would seem that we can all relate to in these present times, Joey English seems to have struck a home run in the mantra producing department. “I haven’t been myself in a long, long, time” the lyrics in the chorus repeat and it wasn’t long before I was repeating them right back, feeling a little better each time.
A ghost may be the star of the show in the accompanying (brilliant) music video but there doesn’t seem to be any hiding In Joey English's closet anymore with this confessional piece. If there are, or if we are harbouring our own, then his message is to simply embrace them. A message we all need to hear from time to time.
Words of Gary Summers