John Blaylock’s myriad adventures in music have taken in all kinds of experiences and exotic locations, from his first serious band landing Radio 1 airplay, to being invited by Desmond Tutu to write a song for Nelson Mandela, through to working in LA with some all-time great songwriters, and collaborating with girl bands in Sweden. But what he hasn’t done is release an album of his own… that was until now, as he drops the long awaited debut ‘Sounds of the Dreadnought’. Listen HERE.
‘Sounds of the Dreadnought’ is full of songs of melody and poetry, moonshine and roses, love, lust and reflection. It’s an album created approximately equally between his home city of Manchester and from his international travels. Named after John’s favourite guitar, a Martin Dreadnought acoustic, the album’s recent singles demonstrate his deep flair for storytelling songwriting – from the decades-spanning childhood-and-beyond odyssey that is ‘Where Did All My Friends Go?’ to the Kerouac and Salinger-inspired continent-spanning road-movie that is ‘Moonshine and Roses’. His musical influences span the ages, from the classic songcraft of Bob Dylan and Paul Simon through to the anthemic and uplifting energy of The Stone Roses and The Charlatans.
John says, “It’s been a journey, but a really fun one. I love these songs and they are the stories of my life in music and on the road over the last decade or so. It took a lot to get to this point and I’m grateful for all of it.”
The new focus track ‘Life By The Gram’ is a real standout. John Blaylock explores the plague of substance dependency that’s present in cities and towns across the land, documenting the harsh human realities that emerge as a consequence. Yet in contrast to its harrowing subject matter, the song unlocks a real sense of beauty via its gospel harmonies, string arrangement, and expansive arrangement.
He adds, “This was a co-write with a friend in LA. We both saw and knew a lot of people with severe addiction issues in that city, so we wrote this song as a first person perspective of being totally dependent on something. The gospel choir on this track is definitely one of the highlights of the record for me.”
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