Adult Contemporary Rock/New Age Review: Russell Suereth-Going Down the Highway

Release Date: April 7, 2014

Label: Independent

Website

Russell Suereth’s Going Down the Highway is a conglomeration of adult contemporary rock and new age. The songs range from mid tempo to a faster paced soft rock that immediately sets you at ease and forces you to listen to the introspective lyrics. Suereth has an inviting vocal style that keeps it all real throughout this enjoyable release.

The fact is, if you happen to be Going Down the Highway this album may be your best friend particularly if you are stuck in after work traffic on the freeway. The opening track bears the album title and it is a great way to kick off the album. It gives you a sense of freedom and joy and instantly gets you in the right frame of mind to take in what is to come in the following tracks.

Suereth is rock solid on this release providing all the vocals, instrumentation and production. Certainly this must be a difficult task to go it alone without another set of ears to provide feedback and insight during the recording process. Regardless of those against all odds factors this man has produced a fine recording. The balance of his vocals and the instrumentation are perfectly placed through the entire run of this 10 track journey. What I heard was crystal clear vocals and suitable musical accompaniment consistently. I think that about covers it for the ears and when you start getting into the overall lyrical concepts I think the titles are clever and the words follow suit.

“So Different” was the most enjoyable track. Musically it stands tall as the artist pulls out all the stops musically and adds layers of instrumentation without sacrificing the level of his vocals. That can be a tricky thing but Suereth pulls it all off and ultimately has success. In fact this is done on most of the tracks however this was the one that really rose above the rest. 

“Mister Dumpty (Dinosaur)” is a quirky number and it sounds a bit cynical but I suppose it could hold a lot of different meanings depending on who you are and how your life has unfolded. Some lyrics come with a message that is certain and straight forward, for example this passage nails it on the head:

You sit there on your faded laurels
So highbrow
The paper and esteem it spells
Must reek by now

That is some pretty heavy stuff for this type of music and it sounds like it may fit the profile of some stuffed shirt on Capitol Hill but who knows, take it for what it’s worth and see how it fits your life. That is what music is for right?

If you happen to be interested in exploring more of Russell’s lyrics you can on his website here http://www.russellsuereth.com/original-lyrics/.

I am the type of listener that is attracted to all sorts of genres and to be perfectly honest this is not the kind of music that would be my first choice while rolling down the highway but Suereth exposed me to another thought process and listening experience that I would be eager to hear again. To take someone that is not normally interested in hearing this type of music and to make them pay attention and actually enjoy the experience is quite an accomplishment in my estimation.

Going Down the Highway is a good album worth more than just one listen. There is a lot more here besides the music that will get your interest. Have a listen for yourself with the provided media player.

4/5 Stars

Key Tracks: Going Down the Highway, So Different, Mister Dumpty (Dinosaur)

Tracks:
01. Going Down the Highway        
02. Now It's Time        
03. I Can See You        
04. So Different        
05. Bottlenose        
06. Portraits from Living        
07. Mister Dumpty (Dinosaur)        
08. Spread Your Wings        
09. I Wonder            
10. Talking to You
 

Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck-Write A Music Review Founder

June 11, 2014

Review Provided By Write A Music