Album Review: Michael Suddes – Out of My Hands

If you’re a fan of acoustic folk rock singer songwriters, then check out this new album from Michael Suddes. That might seem like a lot of categories, but trust me Suddes checks all of those boxes.

The opening track of the album “Back of My Hand” has a vocal style that feels a bit like whisper singing. It’s a tender way to introduce listeners to the album’s style. If you like this one, you’ll be in for a treat.

The second track is “Dragonfly,” which opens up the vocal a bit more. There’s some interesting percussive patterns in this track, making it feel more like an alt rock track than a folk song. The experimental energy keeps the song from being too calm, favoring a more tapping and frenetic style that keeps the listener engaged.

“Foreign to Me” features a careful electric guitar in the opening, which eases the listener into the song. The easy going percussive style feels calm and ushers in the vocal, which features a smooth lyrical phrasing. The nostalgic lyrics about playing games in an arcade definitely feels comfortable. I appreciate the resonance on the guitars in the breaks that creates a sense of space that matches the nostalgic energy of the lyrical message.

“Shape of Things to Come” is an acoustic track with a bright, unexpected piano. The calm, almost prayerful vocal style on this one feels more intimate than some of the others on the album. The piano provides highlights that feels almost like a harp as much as an actual piano. The main vocal on the verse comes through a lot more strongly than some of the other tracks, showing off both the texture and depth of Suddes’ voice.

“A Lost Art” is the song that was the featured single and why I approved this review. There’s a bright electric guitar and clear sense of direction with the song. It’s a narrative folk tune about the joy of meeting someone new and the way they stand out to you. There’s a real magic to this track that makes it resonate. The production layers are just right on this one, allowing for the backing instruments to create the perfect basis for the expressive vocals. The line, “what if everything about you was my favorite part?” is both poetic as well as deeply relatable. This is definitely my favorite track on the album.

Bumping down the tracklist a bit, “When You Showed Up” has a contemplative style that uses a piano melody and an almost-spoken vocal style. It’s poetic and engaging with some of the strongest lyrics on the album. It’s about having someone who shows up and sees through all of your performative actions. It feels good to have someone see the real you and still want to connect.

“Affinity” has a chill storytelling song with a piano basis. The lyrics feel a bit more pop than other tracks on the album, but it’s still a thoroughly rock-informed folk sound. The easy going rhythmic structure definitely invites the listener into the story. The simple construct, “you and me… affinity” conveys all you need to know. It’s clever and gets the point across easily.

The penultimate track “Should” has a light energy to it, allowing the guitar and piano to almost dance in the same room. The lyrical style is light also, almost whispering along the tops of the strings. The chord choices are bright and seem to bounce along with the song. It’s an intriguing song because it feels like it’s one of the lightest and simplest on the album, yet it includes some of the most complex musical elements from the chord work to the intricate melody. I dig it.

The album concludes with “Secondhand Feelings,” a song that feels like a good exemplar of the whole album’s sound. It utilizes a delicate acoustic guitar part and an almost-whispered vocal to create another light folk sound. Like “Foreign to me” earlier, this one dips into some nostalgic themes. There’s a bluesy style to the main melody on the chorus that makes it feel familiar in a good way. I like the flow and lyrical connections on this one.

I don’t know that I have a good comp for the Suddes sound. In some ways, he feels like a more mellow version of like a sort of Dave Matthews sound. There are even some instances where the bright flowing elements feel a bit like Jack Johnson. Then again, there are some electric guitar features here that put me in mind of early career John Mayer. If any of those names connect for you, definitely take a few moments to give Suddes a spin. If you only have time for one, I’d recommend “A Lost Art.” If you like that track, definitely give the whole album a shot.

This album will release on October 17th. Look for it on Suddes’ website.