Toby Kane

Fortunately for me, this blog has become popular enough that artists are starting to come to me about being reviewed. One of which is Toby Kane, a singer song writer from Sioux Falls, SD. His music reminds me of a time when the radio didn't make me want to vomit. Sorry, I just had to add that. I would definitely say that he and his band, the Toby Kane Band, sound similar to the Gin Blossoms back in the 90s, aka they are easy listening on the ears. Toby is currently pursuing a solo career. When asked why he decided to do such a thing considering the success of the Toby Kane Band he said that it "happened very organically...I enjoy the creativity and common goal of a band. But as often happens when writing, it can be difficult to dictate when a song or lyric idea hits, and next thing you know it's 7 or 8 songs. When that happens for me, the itch to go test them out is pretty much all-consuming." So playing to his strengths, he left, and fortunately for us, he is writing and sharing the music he hears in his head. Side note: the band still plays together 4-5 times a year.

He is currently working on a new solo album entitled "The Heart Machine" which he describes "is my effort to write a heartfelt set of songs that are diverse, fun, and heavily produced without losing the singer/songwriter, indie spirit". Which in my opinion is quite an undertaking; if he can pull it off, I will be incredibly impressed, and thus, I wish him good luck. Overall, this is good easy listening, summer music that gets your foot tapping and your head bobbing.

Toby has a really unique voice, to me it sounds like a combination of Bob Dylan, Jon Bon Jovi (a designation that seems to have caused some strife between my girlfriend and me, so leave your opinion in the comments), and Steven Page which makes for a really cool listening experience. He has a pretty good range, and is always in tune which is really important when marketing yourself as a singer/songwriter. His lyrics are pretty good too i especially like the lyric "Life is hard, but hard's okay" which I feel is a great summation of human experience. From what I've heard of his guitar playing he is pretty good, he does a good job of not sticking to the same three chords over and over again and keeps his music interesting. He hasn't done anything yet to wow me; no incredible solos or anything like that. I will admit though that his style doesn't really call for such, and I will also admit that I don't have a large body of work currently to base my opinion on. Hopefully, when his new album is released I can make a more informed decision.

As far as a live performance is concerned, he does a good job (the only video's ive seen are with his band though). He always looks like he is having a great time on stage and I think that speaks to his love of music and the crowd always really responds to that. Being a singer/songwriter it is always difficult as a solo act to put on a good show, and since I have yet to see a video of him as a solo act I will just give him a little advice and tell him to get a wireless mic headset, that way he can walk around maybe jump and move a little more instead of being confined to a stand mic. So for now I'm going to have to dock him a little bit but as far as what he does with what he has he does a good job overall.

So now I have come to the end of yet another review, and it is again time for the grade. I do really like Toby's music, he has a really cool voice, good lyrics, pretty solid guitars, and as I said before his music reminds me of a time when listening to the radio was a good experience. I think there is a high probability of him getting signed and having a successful career, and hopefully he will come to the east coast so I can see him perform! Coming down to the grade, I think he has earned every bit of a 8/10; however, this grade could go higher depending on his next album. CHECK HIM OUT: tobykane.com, like him on Facebook, Follow him on twitter. Buy music by Toby Kane and the Toby Kane Band on the right under Band CD's and Downloads.


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