Volume One: Bad Spirits is the latest project from the Cleveland, OH band Fox Ears, who are bringing something different to the scene with their fusion of R&B, Rock, Funk, and Jazz. The 11-track Body of Work delves into a range of topics ranging from matters of the heart to self-love and a lot of soul-searching themes.
The project opens up with “Bad Spirits”, a soul-stirring tune that explores past trauma and the steps taken to reconcile the past while edging to a brighter future in love. The production is rich, and bouncy and blends elements of soft rock with contemporary R&B vocal stylings. Next is “Smoke From A Distant Fire,” a reflective piece that dives into the never-ending struggles of life and one’s natural resilience to find a way through it all. We get to see a man who is cautious and has accepted his lot in this thing called life. This is followed by “Don’t Call Me,” a smooth modern R&B track ripe with rich synth chords, warm pads and soul-stirring melodic runs. We then move on to “An Interlude”, a short instrumental skit that showcases the band’s expansive musical tapestry as they weave warm, soulful textures, and dreamy pads with downtempo rock-styled drum grooves.
“Untold” explores the complexity of human interaction, negative external influences and the troubles that come with being misunderstood. Over a solemn chord arrangement and downtempo drums, the lead vocalist pours it all on wax with heartfelt lines like “Maybe I find that time tomorrow to say what goes untold today/I want you in my life forevermore, but I can never find the right words to say.” On “Don’t Mean Much- Radio Edit”, the band delivers a funk-infused bluesy R&B jam that captures the warmness of love between two individuals and the length to which one will go for the other. This is followed by the chilled soulful vibes of “The False” and melancholic keys on “Blue Skies.” The former has elements of social commentary and the latter dives into growth and self-confidence in the face of external voices.
“Idle Hands” starts with a plucky guitar arrangement and soars into a layered soundscape comprising moody pads and soft drum grooves. Here, we get a sad tale about an individual struggling to find his footing and how his experiences reshaped his views. The project closes out with “Chesterfield”, a bass-driven bounce with uplifting themes and “Burning Bridges”, a lovelorn piece that explores the pain of unrequited love. Overall Volume One: Bad Spirits, is a rich project that has niche elements and familiar sounds mixed seamlessly. The live feel is a plus and the genre-bending approach is brilliant as well.
Cleveland, Ohio-based genre-bending band Fox Ears is a 4 man group comprising Alonzo Johnson (songwriter, lead vocals, keyboards), Tyler Ray Lobdell (guitar, vocals), Jeff Larch (percussion) and Matt Gorey (bass)
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