It’s refreshing to see that the sixth album ‘Onward and Sideways’ from acoustic folk singer Joshua Radin shot straight in to the iTunes top 10 in its early January release, where it took pride of place as the only independent album there, as Radin doesn’t have a record label. Radin has previously released an album with ‘Columbia Records’, as well as 3 with ‘Mom + Pop Music’, before going it alone with his 2013 album ‘Wax Wings’.
On my first listen of the album, I was instantly mesmorised by opening track ‘We’ll Keep Running Forever’, which is just beautiful in everyway. Radin has a wonderful skill that you don’t come across often in which he delivers exactly what you want and would expect from him, but it’s new and different at the same time. By no means is it a boring and predictable album in any way, and that’s confirmed to you in every song. For example, the first track sums the album up entirely; poetic lyrics, soft melodies, and mainly acoustic with a touch of electric guitar, then you move on to the more up-tempo second track ‘Belong’ which features more of a beat. Another good example of how his beautiful acoustic nature transfers from track to track with added percussion, piano and strings is ‘Away We Go’, which features the gorgeous almost twinkling sound of an idiophone type of instrument in the background.
Radin himself recently described ‘Onward and Sideways’ as a “love letter”, the story of him falling in love with his girlfriend, and moving to Sweden to be with her. Having spent the last 7 years extensively recording, releasing and touring, which one can only imagine as somewhat of a lonely experience as a solo artist, lyrics such as “it’s been a long time that I’ve been on my own, and I can’t take no more” in ‘Angels’ are heartbreaking. Love, Passion and Emotion have always been prominent in Radin’s previous songs, but since meeting his girlfriend, his lyrics seem more meaningful than ever, it’s like spending 49 minutes in Radin’s heart (somewhere surely no girl would refuse a place in) as Radin takes us through the intimate beginnings of a relationship. From percussion build ups as Radin finds the right words in ‘Blow Away’, the beautiful admittance of feelings in ‘One and Only’ as Radin sings “I want you, I choose you”, and what seems to be celebrations of love with lyrics such as “take your foot off the brakes, come let our sun shine down” in the catchy ‘Let Our Sun Shine Down’, and “come take my hand, away we go” in ‘Away We Go’.
‘Beautiful Day’ sees Radin collaborate with Sheryl Crow, in a feel good track that could have been the last track of the album as it screams “I found love” and “I got the girl” – perfect for the romantics in us all following the journey throughout the album of a real life budding romance.
It’s important that we remember that Radin goes alone with no record label, which is such a brave move to make. He tweeted recently that “over the span of a lifetime, the easiest thing in the world to make and keep is money. The most difficult: integrity”, and it’s for that reason that he’s a completely independent artist. It’s our support that gives artists like Joshua Radin the ability to continue making their music independently. Radin hasn’t disappointed in his 6th album, and is currently touring in the US, so we can only hope for some UK dates soon, and fingers crossed there’ll be intimate venues to suit the album!
By Laura Dean – @modestlaura
