There is really only one thing that I like better than a rock song, and that is a folk song. What I have been listening to the last couple weeks is an album by a man who calls himself noon. Confused ? That’s ok. This title that the musician Anthony Giamichael has picked for himself is up for your interpretation, as are his songs, which are every bit rocking while infused with stories that could easily be called folk.
Well, whatever you call them, they pack a punch one second and then have you dancing the next, and sometimes both at the same time. They tell a story and almost demand that you think, not just listen to them but really slip into full meditation mode. All the while there is a lyric quality and style that is speaking, not just singing. If I haven’t peaked your curiosity yet than maybe you should take a listen for yourself.
Broke and Beaten Down is the name of this record that has held residency in my CD player for the last couple of weeks and not to move anytime soon. This album contains nine songs, or ten songs if you can find the hidden track, that don’t easily give up or easily back down. This is a solid album with some very serious themes. You will find songs that everyone can immediately relate to, songs that you can easily identify with, songs that revolve around life and love. These are the songs that make us bond with an album.
Man Called Noon also showcases his creativity in fictitious settings that create audible worlds for the listener, such as songs that deal with a killer and a brothers revenge (very cleverly split into two very different sounding tracks, the latter being an intense acoustic offering), a song about a father who is locked up in the pen for the rest of his living days, and other intense and thought provoking material. Man Called Noon definitely has a gift for writing and recording these songs in a fashion that really pulls the listener into the song and makes you open your ears and pay attention.
After listening to Broke and Beaten Down quite a few times, I decided to do a little research on the man who calls himself Noon. What I found surprised me in that our Noon “Anthony Giamichael” and I have something in common. We are both from the same part of the country. Though I moved to Los Angeles years ago, I still have always longed for home and I think I hear that in Noons voice. I will be visiting later in the year around late June when Virginia is in its hottest and the humidity is scraping paint off the walls. I will be bringing this cd with me on the trip to take my mind off of the heat and to help me remember how much I love it there.
Review by Kenn Deaton
