A New Heart from Kevin Thomas Band is a transformative pop-rock-Americana record. Packed with rich, amber-like acoustic guitar and bright electric guitar shapes, A New Heart rapidly makes its way to the listener’s heart. This album, flush with California tones, also contains a healthy mix of soulful organ and some groovy, breezy beats. Based in San Diego, Thomas is a thoughtful and clever lyricist with a voice that exudes playfulness and fun. Just one spin isn’t enough, the 10 songs on A New Heart gets you to keep hitting play over and over.
Thomas’ voice is quirky. On one hand, he can sound like a surfer dude busking on the corner. In other moments, he delivers harmonies that echo the same pitch and range as the music beds. If you read his artist biography, he talks about the changes in his life that took him from New Jersey to the sunbaked beaches of San Diego. It never rains in California, right? I think if you step back, and especially hear that same theme in the opening song, “The Big Picture”, you can really put the puzzle pieces together that his journey has truly led him to these songs. “The Big Picture”, a track that fuses together folk and pop arrangements, has a stirring percussion and rhythm section that parallels congo and tribal-like drums in the song’s midsection. What comes from this sound is this 60s flavored track that feels very modern.
He continues that tight band sound in “Comfort Zone”, a go-getter song. I really liked how Thomas is optimistic and encourages his listener to do things they normally wouldn’t do. I think his voice, a naturally ‘teacher’ like sound, might come across as instructional at certain points in the album, but that’s also his strength. You keep listening because he’s so engaging. His timbre is a bit higher than most, but thank goodness you can also really understand what he’s saying.
“Time” and “Money Tree” both struck me as having that cool, chill jaunt. He keeps the soundscapes light and airy. “Let Your Arrow Fly” is another encouraging and almost meditative track. In “Reinvent Yourself” Thomas really amps up the guitars and builds a certain musical chaos. I thought the sound really fit the song’s theme and reflects the idea of switching things up and jerking something different about your schedule. To change to really change and reinvent you have to jostle things in your life – including your mind. The guitar work, especially, captures that.
Of the final songs, “Mirror Mirror”, “High On Chocolate”, “On My Way” and “The Best Luck Around”, Thomas impressed me most with “Mirror Mirror”. The guitar work is almost swampy, intriguing. There’s a darkness behind it, an unknown. I think this song really was a turning point – a different avenue for Thomas’ listeners to explore. Thomas acknowledges that we often have dark days and that we creep down that path every once in a while. I felt like the placement of the song and the authenticity of owning that emotion is brilliant.
Chadwick Easton