monoblogue music: “Miracle” by Andy Evans

If you are looking for something bluesy with soul, you won’t be disappointed with this effort by Texas-based Andy Evans. “Miracle” isn’t a long album as it’s barely over 30 minutes long, but the nine tracks feature a pleasing variance in the guitar-based sound Evans puts out.

You may find Intro a little strange, but it’s only the prelude to the mid-tempo, sort of jazzy title track where we are introduced to the guitar effects Evans employs in a full-length song. It gets a little more mainstream on 45, but that song is saved by the lyrics and storytelling Evans employs.

Lesson Learned gets off to an acoustic start, but it’s a nice enough ballad with an abrupt end that caught me off guard. Also catching me unawares was the horn-infused Shape Of Love, which also features a lot of tasty guitar.

For me, one of the two best tracks was the sixth selection, called Judas. It’s foreboding open and distortion lead up to some serious ripping through the bridges. It leads into a pair of slower and more romantic songs, with I Wish She Was Mine opening with Evans singing acapella for the first thirty seconds before it transforms to a slow rocker. Elemental is also slow, but has a well-written chorus.

The final song is the other of my favorite pair, as Make It takes distortion, some scorching organ, and a good slow fade to create a finale worth the wait.

Now for the bad news: the album doesn’t come out until January. (This is why there’s no cover art – no .jpg of it exists.) It’s unusual to get one so far back in the process, as it’s obvious the tracks are ready. (Of course, this leads me to wonder if the project will be beefed up by a couple songs upon its release.) So this is a case where you’ll have to trust me that if you crave something a little bit different, this may be worth checking out after the calendar turns.