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Welcome Back Ballads
Saturday 27th July 2013 | Abby
September 9th, Real World Records presents the release of Joseph Arthur’s latest album, The Ballad of Boogie Christ Act 1 & 2, which will give you a range of ballads that will allow you to connect with Arthur and the Boogie Christ.
Being discovered by the legendary Peter Gabriel in the mid-90s , Joseph Arthur began his professional music career that would see this talented singer-songwriter climb rock’n’roll heights right to the top. Since then, Arthur has released exceptional music, but it is September this year that people should get excited for, because this wonderful musician will have his latest project released, this project is like no other; it is The Ballad of Boogie Christ Act 1 & 2. This album is the unique semi-autobiographical chronicle which reiterates, in a semi-fictional fashion, the life and workings of Joseph Arthur. It is an exceptionally creative and interesting album which portrays Arthur’s personality and talent, once again revealing his amazingly raw vocals, and interesting style.
Keeping true to his style, Arthur took the leap and incorporated new elements that would add to his sound and make the album bigger and bolder – really to set the narrative into place, and he has done it well. Arthur noted that:
“The Ballad of Boogie Christ is unlike anything I’ve ever done before. It’s a big production featuring horms and brass, and living legends like Garth Hudson, Ben Harper, Jim Keltner, Joan Wasser, and many others. I can’t wait for you to hear it. This is the one I’ve been waiting for years to put on.”
Always finding himself working on more than one project at a time, Arthur was excited to get this one out to his fans and fashion the collections of music into a ballad that would not only tell his story, but also interest and keep the listeners excited with his incorporation of fun and spontaneity that he successfully does in most of his works. Although Arthur notes that the album is “a fictionalised character loosely based on my own journey”, it is not a boring autobiographical narrative, it is a robust, rich, and passionate epic that portrays
“experiences, situation and perspectives that point in those directions. I wanted to let the listener fill in some of the blanks without telling the whole story in a straight-ahead way.”
Beautiful lyrical songs are throughout both of the acts, and the themes are bold, including the theme of overcoming addiction, crime, and struggle, but also there are upbeat, fun moments too, that incorporates a relief, like a interlude to allow the listener to absorb the heaviness of the darker, more realistic themes, while also enjoying the upbeat instrumentals and parts, just look at “In the City” on Act 2. An interesting ballad included in Act 1 is the track ‘King of Cleveland; which officially connects the fictionalised character of Boogie Christ with Arthur, the artist himself. Through this track, we learn that Arthur, at the beginning of his career, was a just like an apprentice working alongside some very big names in Ohio, he was “playing blues in the back seats, from biker bars to limousines.” It is a gorgeous track.
Enjoy Joseph Arthur’s amazing ballads right here:
Act 1: https://soundcloud.com/realworldrecords/sets/joseph-arthur-the-ballad-of/s-gBgh9
Act 2: https://soundcloud.com/josepharthur/sets/the-ballad-of-boogie-christ-1/s-4MZQa
Written By Abby D
