Chris St John – I’m Never Where I Am (2024)
While Chris St John is a seasoned artist with extensive touring, it is not only his musical experiences that inspire his unique sound. From his time in China as a college student and travelling across five continents for recreation and mission work, including support for impoverished individuals with healthcare, clothing, food and school supplies, the US-based musician channels his life into intelligent, thought-provoking, eclectic music. With smooth tenderness yet simultaneously heartbreakingly haunting, the chart-topping, Grammy-nominated singer-songwriter delicately weaves emotion and sound. The latest addition to his discography is the single ‘I’m Never Where I Am’.
Not necessarily experimental, but pushing categories to the brink and then blurring them, Chris St John brings an obscure tone within a strong Americana style. Following his critically acclaimed EP With You, ‘I’m Never Where I Am’ sees St John take a turn toward something new while retaining his distinctive Americana flavour.
As with previous songs, a strong leaning toward folk and country is heard; however, a slice of folk-pop shimmers along a blues-tinged tone with a bright thread of rock wavering through ‘I’m Never Where I Am’. Compared to the tracks on With You, ‘I’m Never Where I Am’ is heavier, harder and more full-bodied in its obscure tone. Yet, as I mentioned, St John’s Americana oozes from the track like a trailing whisper of a comfortable encounter.
Combining an electric guitar with steady bass, crashing drums, and St John’s smooth vocals, the melody drags on both soothing smoothness and hard-hitting gruffness. For me, however, it is the fleck of strings (a fiddle I assume) interspersed in the melody that ups the ante. A slip of haunting fragility exudes from the fiddle with classical precision, while St John’s vocals capture human fragility with delicate elegance.
Sincere, sentimental and genuine, ‘I’m Never Where I Am’ brings another side of Chris St John to the fore – a more rock-influenced Americana feel. I love this side of St John, as I did his previous singles, but I’m eager to see if he has more weighty rock-defined Americana tracks up his sleeve.
Find out more about Chris St John on his official website, Facebook, Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
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