John Howard - To the Left of the Moon's Reflection (2020) [Hi-Res]

With a career that spans nearly 50 years, “To The Left Of The Moon’s Reflection” represents the first US label release of John Howard’s beautiful music – and we’re honored to be that label! A great big thanks goes out to Edward Rogers for putting John in contact with Kool Kat! John made an obscure (but, over the years, critically heralded) British singer/songwriter album, 1975’s “Kid In A Big World” which, like several efforts from others during that period, showed the heavy influence of then-newly emergent superstar Elton John. John was lower-key and more inclined toward eccentric story-songs, and he too had a keyboard base to his arrangements, with melodic ideas combining Beatles/Beach Boys pop with 70’s singer/songwriter fare. Never really going away, and always creating, over the years John has quietly, previously released 16 albums on labels like RPM, Bad Pressings, Cherry Red, Tapete, and You Are The Cosmos, as well as self-releasing some of his material. He’s still in fine voice here! “The songs, melancholic but never dour, look at the past to make sense of the present. Loss, longing, and the search of peace recur through songs constructed with Howard’s trademark stacked vocal harmonies and always-pleasing melodies. A touching, elegiac space album with the poet’s heart.” – Shindig! Magazine "Sublime and considered." – Robert Cochrane/Culture Catch.com "Beautiful songs. A great and emotional work." - Alex Marti Puig/MagicPopcat.blogspot.com "A thinking person's line-up of lovely melodic songs." – Alan Haber/PurePopRadio.com “Old ghosts mingle with analogies of saviors, and the tropes of coming-to-terms with one’s decisions. This is all done with a most adroit touch of pastoral organ, Baroque chamber pop, gentle Dylan-esque harmonica, concertina and softened tambourine rattled crescendos. It’s a sound that is saved from the saccharine and pushed towards the yearning beauty of the early Bee Gees, late 60’s Beach Boys and the Incredible String Band, whilst echoing the flourishes of John’s burgeoning pianist troubadour career in the 70’s. His lyrical 17th album follows on from last year’s brilliant ‘Cut The Wire’ – just one album in a long line of such releases from arguably his most creatively prolific tenure. The poetically scene-setting songbook is a perfect accompaniment to those memoirs; a mature retrospection of a life well lived.” – MonolithCocktail.com The bottom line: This is a gorgeous late Saturday evening/early Sunday morning listen! GREAT!!