Roddan: “Music House” – revealing songs that evoke considerable personal emotion and reflection

Roddan, an American singer-songwriter from Seattle, WA, is a talented acoustic and electric guitar player, who writes and performs his songs taken from his diverse influences, including Folk, Americana, Blues, Rock and Modern Country. Roddan has released his debut 11 track album, “Music House”, recorded in Austin, TX, with SXSW award-winning producer, Rick Del Castillo, Austin A-list musicians, and final mastering at Yes Master Studios in Nashville.

Formerly a versatile lead guitar player performing with several artists in the Pacific Northwest, Roddan has dropped a stunning solo album. Showing himself to be one of the better songwriters in the business nowadays. Not that he is the master of writing pop tunes destined for the Top 40 or some iTunes list.

No, that’s not what his music is all about. Instead, Roddan writes some of the deepest, most gut-wrenching, heart-stopping, memorable, beautiful, and joyous music you will even hear. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and on this deeply personal album in places, he especially bares his soul. You can hear it in his plaintive voice, and in the powerful lyrical content.

That said, the emotional power of this album is just off the charts. Maybe it won’t rock your world, though there a couple of songs to do that too, but that’s not really what this album is intended to do. If you sit down and listen, really listen, especially to songs like “Cross To Bear”, “Empty Miles”, “Far Away” and “Rain’s Coming Down”, from the first half of the album, and let the lyrics resonate you can’t help but be moved.

Few albums have hooked me on a first listen as this one has. Every song tells a poignant story and is accompanied by the perfect music for every word. Roddan is a serious poet and musician who, in simple, stark and melodic terms, can convey ideas in a way that is accessible to every listener.

In the first 6 songs of the album presents a great collection of tunes recorded with a very subtle, warm tone and rootsy feel. These are very honest, revealing songs that evoke and express considerable personal emotion and reflection. “I Can’t See” breaks into a full band sound, while “Let Love Be Found” (ft. Patricia Vonne), sees Roddan immersed in a duet.

“Same Conversation” is an upbeat live recording, and “Whiskey, Pill’s and Pain”, goes back to the more introspective singer-songwriter template, where I feel Roddan is at his best. That’s of course before he switches to the Southern rock sound of “Crossroad Dues”, finally closing down the album with the acoustic-driven “Reconciliation”.

Between the upbeat, full band songs and the contemplative, more stripped down ones, this is an album that will get under your skin and stay there. It will burrow it’s way in and dance around a little every time you listen to it and you’ll find a different favorite song every few times you play it.

That is, of course, until you realize that they are all favorites. “Music House” captures the gist of what I love the most about singer-songwriter music.

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