The CD gently takes flight with “Story” a melancholy acoustic intro piece that serves up solitary vocal delivery from Hikele that is passionate, up front & personal. This rather short intro piece merges right into Track 2 Puzzle” which keeps things moving along the intimate path with solitary acoustic guitar ambience & Hikele vocal passion front & center. This track along with Track 3 “Wait” are both striking pieces that flow & ebb their way through to emotional fruition. As the CD slowly unfolds I can hear many musical influences reminiscent of classic Bob Dylan, Counting Crows, & even Live. The actual musical format is very intimate, & is an up close & personal snapshot of the artist. The songs themselves are very naked & personal with messages revealing the highs & lows of life, love, passion, & naked vulnerability. Overall the catalogue is extremely conservative & at times even melancholy. Besides the voice & the acoustic guitar you will also notice some amazing chops & impressive bluesy style riffs thrown in the mix. The acoustic guitar playing abilities from Hikele are impressive, catchy, conservative & in the pocket. His voice is just as impressive & I might add his falsetto is quite amazing. Hikele takes many vocal risks throughout this production indicating to me a strong & confident vocal ability. The lyrical content is extremely revealing as all songs cut deep to the core. From powerful “Apology” to upbeat “Safe” to melodic” Stir” to striking “Again” this CD has something for just about everyone. The CD ends with “Song” the perfect final statement for a CD of this caliber.   

Hikele is on the right track with these songs as they are striking & captivating, but there are risks you take when delivering a bare bones musical performance such as this. It’s fair to say more musical depth is often needed to compensate for the open space. Again I can’t help but wonder what some of these songs would sound like with other musical elements behind them. Instruments such as a pedal steel, mandolin, harmonica, fiddles, viola, stand-up bass, cello, piano, banjo, percussion, Hammond Organ, slide guitar, & electric guitar would add a much needed musical dimension & would not compromise the earthy, conservative approach. Due to lack of musical depth the production goes down a bit dry. It takes an amazing amount of talent and skill to deliver a bare bones musical production such as this. Hats off to Hikele for taking all this on, but in the end of the day, this CD just sounds like it's missing something. I would strongly advise Hikele if he does take my advice to also incorporate professional recording, mixing, & mastering engineers on his next production as well.