Hawaii native, Stephen Inglis has released his ninth studio album, Learning You By Heart. Inglis was raised in the beautiful state of Hawaii, where his older brother turned him on to classic rock, and from that point on, Inglis was all about the guitar, both electric and acoustic. Inglis also fell in love with the Hawaiian Slack Key, in which he devoted years to honing his skills, and eventually decided to put his two passions, rock music and the Hawaiian Slack Key, together. The result of this coupling was his Hawaii Music Award winning Slacking On Dylan. Since then, Inglis has been plugging away at a career in music, and doing quite well at it. Here we are with Inglis’ latest offering, Learning You By Heart.The record opens with “Blind With Haste”, a track that has a John Denver meets Hawaiian rock sound. The song examines how time flies by so fast. The title track, “Learning You By Heart”, is a guitar and drum-driven love song. The track finds the narrator looking back on sweet memories of his relationship and is glad that he got to know her and learned her by heart. “Lay Your Dagger Down” is an interesting track that has a rockabilly sound to it, think a much slower early Elvis tune. “Maria Luisa” is a tropical flavored ode to a beautiful girl named Maria Luisa.
The record features a collaboration with Patti Cathcart, the sweet “Don’t Postpone Joy”. The production is mainly an acoustic one, with guitars front and center. “Troubadour” tells the age old story of a singer playing music for a living and searching for fame, and everything that it entails including signing autographs for fans. “Cold Sunday” picks up the tempo again, with guitars, a mandolin, and a bluesy harmonica. “Carousel” features a sound that’s reminiscent of the Beatles, as it spins a tale of love helping you along in your journey through life. “Find Your Way Back” is another fast tempo, guitar and mandolin driven track, with the narrator singing about finding your way back home.
The record closes out with “The Long Run”, a soft and slow, John Denver-esque track. The song uses imagery and metaphors to describe life and the journey it entails. Overall, this record is an enjoyable one. It’s an album you’d listen to on a quiet, slow day. It doesn’t have much energy to it nor does it pack a punch in any way, but nonetheless, it’s still a solid record.
Originally posted here.
