The Charlemagne Project

An excellent debut that is sure to please fans of country and folk music alike, “The Charlemagne Project” provides an emotional and remarkably varied experience throughout its 23 minute run time. Let’s have a look at what makes it so great.

Shifting Sand

Shifting Sand wastes no time in establishing the passionate, yet surprisingly calming sound that The Charlemagne Project brings to the table. Opening with beautifully strummed and uplifting guitar chords and Steve Ryan-Gledhill’s clean vocals, one of the first things that will strike you about The Charlemagne Project is how natural and authentic the sound is. You can hear the delicate scraping of fingernails on guitar strings, the percussion is crisp and the vocals have an intimacy to them rarely found in modern music. The sound is great and importantly, The Charlemagne Project hasn’t fallen prey to overproduction; everything here sounds distinctly and satisfyingly human. This is exemplified nicely by Gledhill’s vocals, clean yet with a relatively conversational and laid back tone. “Shifting Sand” explores the importance of persevering through uncertainty, with lines such as “Might be time to live a little bolder” sending a great message that we need to make the most of our time here on earth. Also worth a mention are the excellent vocal harmonies in this track, adding a layer of depth and dynamics that would otherwise leave the sound feeling somewhat hollow.

End of the Line

“End of the Line” aptly picks up the pace, slamming you with a simple yet addictive vocal hook where Gledhill repeats “It’s the end of the line, woohoo” alongside upbeat percussion and a cheery chord progression. It’s worth mentioning here that The Charlemagne Project brings an extremely cheery and optimistic sound to the table at times. The vocal hook here is beautifully done, however by the end of the track the overwhelming optimism and repetition could prove a bit much for some listeners. Thankfully, an excellent bluesy guitar solo breaks up the middle of the song, adding some much needed variation; this is then followed by a superb fiddle solo. Both of these solos succeed in giving the track a very ‘live’ and dynamic feel, proving that The Charlemagne Project have the instrumental prowess to keep things varied and interesting.

Half Filled Suitcase

“Half Filled Suitcase” slows the pace back down, with a ballad that you probably didn’t realise you were craving. The song touches on the struggles of strained relationships, with poignant lines such as “I can’t go on living this way, all the times that I cried are the times that you lied” offering a great insight into the difficulties that we all go through when we are betrayed by those close to us. The instrumentation perfectly matches the lyrical themes, with an emotional fiddle break being a highlight of the song despite its short length. “Half Filled Suitcase” also showcases the ability of The Charlemagne Project to craft beautiful melodies, with tasteful piano chords perfectly littered throughout the song in the background to support the vocals. On the topic, the harmonised vocals are superb here too, with both the lower and upper registers combining together to great effect during the verses.

Doubling Down

Just when you think you have them figured out, The Charlemagne Project change up the sound yet again with “Doubling Down”, immersing you in a calm and surprisingly dreamy soundscape, with tranquil guitar melodies and smooth saxophone keeping you company for the next few minutes. The Charlemagne Project makes excellent use of call and response style choruses throughout the album, and none do it better than “Doubling Down”; it’s hard not to smile as Gledhill passionately sings his way through the chorus, immediately followed by the same lines sung back to you with extra layers of harmony. One of the most relaxing jams on the album, doubling down perfectly nails a relaxed country sound whilst still offering enough energy and passion to keep you interested. The lyrics are also great here, with lines such as “Don’t know where I’m going but I don’t care” perfectly matching the laid back instrumentation.

Flat Lander

“Flat Lander” explores the joys and wonders of traveling, with a message that really hits home given the circumstances of 2020. The importance and joy that we experience from traveling is explored nicely as Gledhill sings “I’m a flat lander, don’t want to see mountains in my way, I’m a flat lander, horizon’s just a few miles away”. Whilst (at the time of this review) travel isn’t an option to most of us at the moment, listening to “Flat Lander” really does make you feel as if you are on a holiday in the country, with its upbeat lyrics and cleanly strummed guitar chords. “Flat Lander” comes at a perfect time in the album, picking up the pace after “Doubling Down” with a boppy beat, catchy and singable chorus and an energetic fiddle solo. The percussion is definitely a highlight here too, carrying the energy of the song and making for an instantly recognisable sound that is bound to get your foot tapping.

Coulda Been Me

“Coulda Been Me” offers a perspective on the self doubt and second guessing that it is easy to fall prey to during tough times. Gledhill’s vocals never sound more pure and innocent than on this track, with genuine humility coming through in the lyrics “I know the parts I sound better, but I guess it’s not today”. The wavering and slightly imperfect vocal style works perfectly here, giving the song a very genuine and human feel as The Charlemagne Project explores how we can never be perfect all the time, often thinking to ourselves ‘that should have been me’ when we miss opportunities. The piano is an absolute standout feature on this track, with one of the best solos on the album breaking up the middle of the song and providing a perfect instrumental representation of the lyrical ideas being explored.

Hands of Time

“Hands of Time” is a great closer to the album, sending the important message that we can’t turn back time and therefore have to be careful with our decisions in the present. It becomes very clear at this stage that The Charlemagne Project have poured a lot of time and thought into their lyrics, as Gledhill passionately sings “What we said and what we did no longer yours or mine… But you can’t turn back the hands of time”. The progression and buildup of the instrumentation is excellent here, with every change in the arrangement coming in at the perfect time; just when you think something needs to change, a new element is introduced. There is a lovely warmth to the sound here that is created through the great bass playing of McKenzie, which combined with the smooth vocals of Gledhill and Kingman to make for a captivating and beautiful finish to the album.