Album Review: kingcaid – Colorblind Quarterback

Austin, Texas, musician kingcaid has forged his own path since the days of well-regarded indie-rock outfit What Made Milwaukee Famous.

Colorblind Quarterback, the new kingcaid (aka Michael Kingcaid) album, balances indie attitudes with a rock demeanour, and as soon as you hear Ain’t That Nice, you’ll know that he has a voice and style of his own that you’ll instantly warm to.

There and on Purgatory you can hear the subtle colours of Britpop, the sharpness of Elastica and the swagger of Oasis, but each time, kingcaid frames that in a southern rock groove. On Purgatory you can near enough smell the bayou, and feel the crackle of summer lightning on your skin.

That transatlantic connection continues on Here We Go Again, as kingcaid hits on a sound that got me thinking of Ray Davies’ way with telling a story in both the lyrics and how they are sung. The brass and vocals could only be American, though: punchy and personal, the tempo of the track daring you to resist its siren call to dance.

It’s a theme that continues on Drop That Man, a song that allows kingcaid to show his adroitness at reeling in the listener with his Anglo-American blues-rock sound. Here, the blues influence issues the invitation to the listener to let the song take control.

I’d wager that Colorblind Quarterback was conceived on stages big and small, from concert halls to bars, because, as an album, it shouts out to be played live and loud. That’s not to say that it doesn’t have its subtleties; etc. forever has some crunching riffs, for example. Will You Take A Second for A Minute has an intimacy to it, as well as allowing kingcaid to reveal the range of his vocals, adapting to the quieter tone of the track, never losing their emotional power.

Neither is kingcaid afraid to take risks – Monster could easily be a grunge workout, but instead becomes a ballad, brooding and emotionally bruising. That blues sound continues but is given a makeover to shift it somewhere smooth, bordering on romantic. Nothing, by contrast, lets that mix of blues and rock come to the fore, shouting out its feelings for all to hear.

With its rock and roll attitude, I Think I’m Alone Now offers glimpses of vulnerability under its initial bravado. I get hints of the Tommy James and the Shondells classic with a similar name, though love appears unrequited in this instance. The album comes to a close with Chased by Shadows and Why, both having a cosmic sound, 60s at times, but with a romantic atmosphere to them that is soothing and wistful, and slightly downbeat.

With the album kingcaid illustrates his ability to tell stories that work flawlessly on record. And yet it also has a ‘one take’ feel to it, as if the artist and his musical collaborators know each other so well that they instinctively knew where to go every time. Add in the ‘as live’ atmosphere and kingcaid’s heartfelt vocals; Colorblind Quarterback is engrossing and entertaining in equal part.

Colorblind Quarterback was released on the 6th of March. It is available to download on Bandcamp and can be streamed on YouTube Music and Spotify. Learn more about kingcaid and his music on his Facebook and Instagram socials.