Bryan Estepa – Sometimes I Don’t Know
Honestly, I’m not that familiar with Bryan Estepa. So on initial listen to his new one, Sometimes I Don’t Know, I had no real expectations. After hearing the opening track, “I’m Not Ready for This”, I figured I was in for some of the best alt country tunes I’d heard in some time.
After hearing a few more tracks, it appears I jumped the gun. This is a collection of terrific guitar pop. If you feel the need to place a genre label on it (shame on me for nearly falling into that trap), then this review won’t help you. I can however, tell you that Sometimes I Don’t Know features some of the best songwriting I’ve heard in some time.
The aforementioned track is a real earworm and a great choice for the opener. “Like the Cruel” will remind you of any number of 80’s west coast produced hits. “Another Kind of Madness” begins with a delicate piano and vocal. Then, an acoustic guitar leads into a dynamic chorus with the music making every bit as much a statement as the lyric.
“No Ordinary” is more classic guitar pop, sounding as if it would have fit in perfectly on an 80’s AOR playlist. I can imagine a kid on American Bandstand saying “It’s got a great beat and you can dance to it”.
I won’t go on track by track. Suffice it to say that I’ll be digging up the entire Bryan Estepa catalog to see what I’ve been missing. And Sometimes I Don’t Know will be in rotation here for some time.
