Michael Lyon – The Guy Who Won (2024)
Inspired by the likes of Chuck Berry, Cat Stevens, the Beatles, Neil Young and Paul Simon, singer-songwriter Michael Lyon captures the iconic sounds of yesteryear in a moving, engaging modern-day bubble. Drawing together different sides of rock with a signature folk infusion, the Southern California musician offers a sound that is fresh and familiar. From his debut album Pictures in 2015 to 2020’s ‘Love At First Sight’, 2022’s ‘Said A Father’ and the most recent album What Could Be, Lyon explores the intricacy and complexity of life, love, loss and everything in between. The latest addition to his discography is the single ‘The Guy Who Won’.
Following his well-received track ‘Tug of War’ Michael Lyon shifts to toe-tapping folk-rock in ‘The Guy Who Won’. Recorded at California’s ReadyMix Recording Studio with engineering and co-production by Paul Horabin, ‘The Guy Who Won’ embraces the folk tone of Bob Dylan and Cat Stevens but with a shimmering of Americana lingering beneath. From the guitar to the percussion, multi-instrumentalist Michael Lyon uses an acoustic composition to intoxicate listeners with simplistic charm. Interestingly, while the instruments are organic blending in symphonic harmony, the single appears kaleidoscopic as each instrument brings an individual kick to the overall tune.
The melody is easily heard on its own as a 1970s folk ballad, but it is the off-kilter vocals executing profound lyricism that truly hits the Dylan intimacy on its head. Lying somewhere between Dylan and Willie Nelson with his gruff vocals, Michael Lyon elegantly traverses the intricate world of deceptive relationships – particularly a narrative of modern-day politics. Lyon explains:
“Of all the examples of utter nonsense repeated endlessly by our former president, the one that specifically led to THIS song was the lie…that he didn’t lose the last election… While the song is rooted in dismay at being bamboozled for so long by the guy who lost last time, it also shares the belief that there are enough people out there who know a lie when they see it, prefer democracy to autocracy, and care enough about our country’s well-being to help truth to prevail and us to move forward.”
In addition to the single, Michael Lyon released a music video for ‘The Guy Who Won’. You can view the video below or via his YouTube channel.
Find out more about Michael Lyon on his official website, Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), Instagram and Spotify.
This artist was discovered via Musosoup #sustainablecurator
Listen to more folk singles on The Other Side Reviews Folk playlist:
Thanks to Nicole and The Other Side for a fine review. We learn more about ourselves through conversation with others, and I think the same thing applies to a songwriter like me gaining a deeper understanding of the “narrative of modern-day politics” expressed in the song, courtesy of carefully considered feedback like this.