Music Review - ‘I Was / I Am’ the album by Noah Kahan
Welcome all who have come from different corners of the world to have a read of my first ever international write-up on Welcome to the Gig! I am pleased to announce that every so often, there will be reviews and such from musicians outside of New Zealand, which is super exciting and something that has been encouraged by friends/family and also in my thoughts for a while.
Today, we are kicking it off with someone I have wanted to write about for quite a while on the blog, American musician, Noah Kahan who loves White Claws and dogs!
Noah comes from New Hampshire in America where he has faced many challenges, but has still tried to keep himself true to whatever he chooses to do within life and his career.
Noah’s latest album drop, I Was / I Am, released back in September, has been really life-changing for many listeners around the world, telling some hard stories from the past, with hope for the present and the future. I Was / I Am takes you on a journey to whichever destination is next on the roadmap that is life.
What I thoroughly enjoy about I Was / I Am and Noah’s music is that it is always raw, no matter how much it hurts to hear it or for him to sing it, he still puts it out there and has let fans know that they are not alone with their struggles and that he also faces them daily. A truly authentic and genuine way to release an album and to share your experiences with those who may need some comfort right now.
In the track Howling, Noah references the big black dog of depression that he often has to cope with, a topic many people tend to shy away from talking about as it is frowned upon in many situations, when in reality, we should be able to be vulnerable and honest like Noah is without any judgement.
Caves is a cracker of a song - it is a little more upbeat, however it still holds value with the importance of the lyrics, which I believe may have been derived from a relationship that potentially wasn’t working out, but both parties wanted to try and keep it going, even if there wasn’t a light at the end of the tunnel, as they had originally hoped. Eventually, someone has to cave and say “okay, this is not working out” but it feels to me that finding the courage to do so strikes as very difficult to do and it was never going to be an easy conversation to begin with.
Someone Like You is another track that draws your attention in - featuring the wonderful Joy Oladokun, this song pulls all the stops out with beautiful vocals from both Noah and Joy, a treat for the ears. I really like the inviting sound to it and feel that it is a fresh kind of pop-love ballad that would do well in the top 40 chart and become quite a hit with those of all ages.
The lyrics and movement of I Was / I Am is driven by the honest admission of some of the changes being best and some for the worst for Noah and I think we can all applaud that and recognise that change has a lot of good impacts in so many ways (even if it’s tough) and whether you’re a musician, or wherever you are on your path, to find new things and endure growth is such a huge thing to go through and it will take you on to many new opportunities that you probably would never have given thought to previously.
The bottom line of this review is that Noah’s words really resonate with me and millions of listeners throughout the world, making him an extremely likeable person whose music comes in all shapes and sizes, meaning you are guaranteed to find a song of his that you will relate to and really enjoy. The 10-track album is a perfect embodiment of who Noah has been and who he is now.
I Was / I Am is most definitely worth taking the time out of your day to have a listen to. Make sure that you go and check it out right now and have a follow along with Noah at the below links -
Spotify
Instagram
Facebook
YouTube
Website
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Thank you so much for sticking around and reading my first international write-up on Welcome to the Gig! I hope that you enjoyed this album review and find some hope from Noah’s words as much as I personally do. He is a fantastic person with a heart of gold and hopefully one day, we will all get to see him on our side of the world.
I will be posting more international write-ups, however, they won’t be as frequent as New Zealand music ones. That being said, if you would like to touch base, please flick me a DM, PM or email at any of the below -
Much love and appreciation to you all!