Welcome to John Cardigan's Study

The tracks are laid out in a way that helps keep them separated in their influences of other genres branching out from the main country roots the album is built around. The roots grow out into a tree that is full of surprises.

“Carolina Honey” comes out of left field with soulful singing out of King. With chanting backup singers being put into the mix. On a first listen, I was expecting it to be simply a country album with all the keynotes associated with it. However, things switch on a dime. With “No Room For Blue” or in “Levi’s & Goodbyes” the vibe is geared towards southern rock. Furthermore, “Die Alone” is set up as a blues song. It is hard to fixate on what style it can be called for this album as a whole. It doesn’t take away from the listening experience unless the listener has specific tastes.

King can do quite a bit with his vocal talents. On the other hand, “Here Today” contains nearly too many voices chiming in. For the most part it is King, but I feel like the likes of Jamey Johnson or Kaitlin Butts could have been put on separate songs to utilize their unique voices better. “Somebody Else” is a good example of how to handle the aforementioned tidbit whereas it switches back and forth between King and Jesse Welles singing the lyrics. The song doesn’t overdue its stay and is a great addition.

The instruments themselves sing, especially the fiddle. Each instrument adds their own special sauce to the songs adding up to what they are. The steadfast drumbeat is the glue holding the lyrics in place. The guitar whether it is electric or acoustic serenades majestically.

“Carry Me Home” is a very poignant end to the album. It is a farewell and sendoff talking about after King’s death through the lyrics; “Bury me beneath her trees / … carry me home, Carolina.” King is from South Carolina originally.