Vance Joy's "Dream Your Life Away" Album Review (Grapeshot Magazine)

Originally Published in Grapeshot Magazine- Macquarie University Student Publication, Issue 1, Volume 7, February 2015

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VANCE JOY- DREAM YOUR LIFE AWAY

Melbourne-born musician James Keogh, better known as Vance Joy, dropped his debut album last September and showed that local musicians were getting in on the folk-rock revival. While everyone knows Vance Joy for the ridiculously huge hit 'Riptide', this debut album shows he's no one-trick pony.

What 'Riptide' didn't show us was Keogh's amazing vocal range, and you'd be hard bent to find a song that won't be appealing, folk-rock fan or otherwise.

While it has some amazing songs, notably 'Mess is Mine', 'Riptide', 'Georgia' and the closer 'My Kind of Man', sometimes the album does drag on, especially with the quieter songs that seem totally forgettable by album's end.

Overall, while not ground-breaking, it has amazing repeat-listening value. If you're looking for something heart-warming, you should start with this album that's about as honest and gorgeous as it gets.

3.5/5

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Vance Joy- 'Riptide'