"Like sitting on the pebbled lakeside, feet dipped in cool water, staring at a clear sky, Ian Flanigan’s new album Shades of Blue inspires a nostalgic sentiment akin to wistful escapism. Like the love child of Eddy Vedder and John Mayer, Flanigan’s style and sound is reminiscent of both but still entirely his own, and his new music typifies his distinctiveness. The whole album plays like one long, dynamic song…but in a very good way. There are shifts and changes, but all operate within the confines of a cohesive theme: the intense desire to quell an all-encompassing homesickness. The music, however, is not melancholic; the chord progressions and key changes are forlorn yet optimistic, filled with an uplifting air of forthcoming reunion. The songs are uncomplicated while still musically complex, with intricate guitar work co-starring alongside vocals whose words resemble poetry more than lyricism, occasionally being joined by a gentle string accompaniment and/or percussive punctuation. It is emotional without being weepy, vulnerable without being pitiful, and conceptual while still remaining relatable.

 

Ian Flanigan’s new album is an acoustic adventure into romantic reminiscence, a tuneful tribute to the adrift and their yearning to find the way back home and fall bodily into the outstretched arms of a long-missed lover. Be the listener seeking audio solace or just the pleasant ambiance of melodic confluence, Shades of Blue will provide either, or, and more, destined to become the fallback track of any low-key afternoon."

-Lourena Ann Gallagher II, SUNY editorial