American Heartland rocker John Calvin might not be the first name one thinks of when considering modern soul singers, yet his gentle gravitas has a specific power that swoops you on the first words sung. Rekindling the slow-paced folk with Americana flourishes, Calvin reminds listeners of Ray Lamontagne, John Bell (Widespread Panic), and Amos Lee.
Calvin’s new LP Greener Fields & Fairer Seas (out Jan. 24) is an antidote to the world’s ills. It’s a bold statement that no matter how bad things get, a silver lining always follows. Poetic lyrics weave through a rich tapestry of folk (and occasionally overdriven) guitars, organs, orchestral strings, and gospel backing vocals, reminding us to pay attention to the world and choose kindness in our daily lives. It’s an album that delves into the horrors of the pandemic years while projecting hope through building a family, fatherhood, and Texas. This is an album about growing up.n
Glide is premiering the vibrant and colorful “Garden Stage Variety,” which mirrors the classic albums that the singer-songwriter was listening t,o and the results show in this almost unheard classic, which would make for an ideal feature film closing song.
“I wrote “Garden State Variety” around the 50th anniversary of Van Morrison’s Moondance, so I’d recently spent some time on that album and Astral Weeks. And I’d forgotten how much I liked that staccato style of singing he breaks out intermittently. My favorite lyric is: “Everyone keeps saying it’s foolish for a grown man to believe / In greener fields and fairer seas but… / They don’t know you like that.” So, not only is that the lyric that gave us the album title, but it’s also a little nod to Van Morrison and the fun ways he can run full tilt through poetry. Almost like he’s running through a field of wildflowers. The lyric is also about how a person can change your perception of what’s possible. The beauty in a person, even one you’ve only just met, can make you believe a better world is possible,” says Calvin.