It’s quite easy to immediately fall in love for a melancholic folk song, but what’s difficult is to create an absolutely amazing folk song. Daniel Blake is one of the singer-songwriters that can put it most easily “on paper”. Inspired by the greatest of the 60’s and 70’s like Paul Simon, Donovan
The Phoenix born-and-raised singer has moved to Southern California after High School where he worked in construction. Moving and starting to work has given Daniel different ways to look at life around him and also the hurtful and emotional vocal that he prints in every of his songs. For The Rush is a travel to some Blake’s past and the nostalgic ambient can be noticed in every note played and sang, and even the lyrics evocates that feeling whether happy and joyful or sad and tearful, but in the end “If I had the chance I’d do it again” is the verse we all sing while looking back to what we’ve done.
Daniel not only sings his love and past life, he sings our feelings and emotions and that’s why we immediately feel connected to his music.
Circle Mountain is his debut EP which includes For The Rush and other 4 tracks, such as California and All I Need, for example. Came out in the last day of past November and we only wish we knew it before than we did. For now, we just keep listening to this 5-track EP and wait for the next one we wish to be just as good as Circle Mountain is.
In fact, the whole EP is about Daniel’s love, life, regrets and happy moments, and California is a song that has it all: being the place where it all started, this is probably a hymn the singer songwriter offers to his borrowed homeplace. And then All I Need is a mix, it sounds like it’s growing, like it’s a new beginning, but actually it’s the closing track. With vocals and an instrumental arrangement reminding of Junip’s compositions then completed with an almost pop chorus, the song seems to be a conclusion of everything left behind (on this EP) and as well a reborn for a new life. We believe we can call it the fenix of this album that puts us all so happy in the end, knowing that it all ended so fine.
Circle Mountain is a short EP, 5 pieces full of emotions, meaning and a well defined path to take, a work that can easily grow to a full LP and surely will be close to perfect as this already seems to be.
In a personal note, we challenge Daniel Blake to explore synths and even colder rythms. His technique and vocals can bring so much more emotion and deepness if placed in an Iron and Wine or Patrick Watson style it would definitely shake our body and soul, and everyone who’d listen to it.
Facebook – Twitter – Spotify – Soundcloud – Instagram