Justin Shapiro Released “Campfire Party” back in May of this year, although this album has been ten years in the making for the artist who has gained inspiration from bands such as Pearl Jam, Dave Matthews Band, O.A.R., Ben Harper, and Bob Dylan. Because of this, the album flows and blends through styles that range from acoustic rock, folk, funk, blues, and grunge, with an overall campfire/jam band intensity.
The first track on the album “Lost in Time” piqued my interest with its twangy bass licks and reminiscent, uplifting lyrics. This song and overall collection aren’t going to be for everyone, but it carries a folksy, authentic weight to it, which is what I enjoyed about it most. I wasn’t too hot about every track on the album, but “Lost in Time,” “Tyrannosaurus Rex,” “Forgive & Forgotten,” and “Inspiration Nation” were a few that I definitely enjoyed. What I hear in this album is a blend of unique sounds that I’ve been noticing appear in many different forms among folk/Americana/rock artists of late. There’s a diversity in these songs which you wouldn’t see ten years ago, and an overall more wide range of style put together into one.
Justin Shapiro – Campfire Party
I read another blog on this album which had primarily bad things to say, concluding with a suggestion to Justin Shapiro that he should maybe just consider exploring a whole new genre. His synopsis of the album was that it comes off as a poor imitation of Dave Matthews or Bob Dylan. I thought that was an interesting take, and I can sort of see where he’s coming from. My thoughts on the album are that it could perhaps use some tweaking, but I think it’s on to something. The only thing I know for sure is that the successful artists tend to all respond the same way to critics telling them that they aren’t quite fit for what they’re going for, and they should change. Whether wrong or right, the response of those artists who actually reach success usually translates to a polite “Fuck you.”
I’ll be waiting for Justin’s next album. Until then, follow him and check out Campfire Party for yourselves.
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