Brooks John Martin - Brooks John Martin (2025)

Brooks John Martin isn’t one for clever album titles or musical gimmicks, nor for the adoption of a style-over-substance image or the undertaking of charm-offensive marketing schemes (except for being astute enough to allow me a crack at describing his music, a wise move indeed.) No, he is confident enough that his music speaks for itself, that it sells itself, and having listened to Millions, his fifth album, it is clear that he has a very valid point.

This is the territory of the singer-songwriter, but Martin is smart enough to know that by stepping slightly into the band-driven sound, he can make music that is the best of both worlds—blending the simple grace of the solo troubadour with the sonic textures of the joint musical venture. And so, we are faced with fourteen songs that are mainly subtle and understated yet benefit from just enough beat and lush cinematic additions.

You have to listen to a song like “Breathe” to understand what I am trying to describe here. It is a sublime blend of the elegant and the eloquent, a weave of sweeping strings and spacious piano, chiming guitar motifs, and that warm and whispering intimate vocal. Gorgeous!

Most people could happily hang up their instruments after writing such a song, but Martin delivers 13 more songs of equally scintillating quality. The title track is more driven yet full of clever musical changes of pace and smart use of dynamics. “Kaleidoscope” puts a funky groove into an indie-folk sonic palette, and “13 Trillion” pushes into new sonic heights that border on the realms of rock and roll.

If, like me, you found the earlier single, “Clear Blue Waters,” to be one of those songs that you stumble across thinking, “This is a song that sets benchmarks for others to try and follow,” I can’t imagine the panic in any folk or roots musician’s eyes when they get to the end of this album and realize where the sonic goalposts now lay!