Calvin Love

Highway Dancer // Modern Sky USA

Calvin Love has never been better. His latest release entitled Highway Dancer clearly chronicles a songwriter hitting his peak by diversifing his sound with the exploration of different musical styles. The guitar rock monster “You Got Me Running” channels War On Drugs at their 2014 peak. The country tinged track “The Coin, The Stick, The Take” is a testament to what country/folk tunes can be. Most impressively is the ability of the smooth jazz burst from “Prairie Thunder Jazz Dream” to move effortlessly into the synth pop closer “Wildflower” is nothing short of astonishing… and gutsy. One might think that so many styles would lead to a product that sounds unfocused but that is far from the truth. The album is masterfully crafted and the track order was meticulously set to take the listener on a magical ride; genre jumping was no accident. Love assembled this album from a large group of songs he’d written over the past three years and states that these songs picked him. He purposefully uses juxtaposition to make each song contrast the one that precedes it, just as opposites attract in nature. Themes of mortality, personal growth and the pressures of life make the album easily relatable and instantly adored. Highway Dancer is Calvin Love at his very best. This is the album for which he should be remembered.

- Jeff MacCallum