It’s hard to pin down the ongoing appeal of the one man and his acoustic guitar genre, whereby the wheel is never reinvented, just given a slightly differing slant upon each interpretation. Whilst the thrill-a-minute moments are usually delivered by bands and artists pushing the boundaries and coming up with some genuinely new and genuinely exciting, there is still something to be said for tuning into the heart and soul of an individual and just enjoying it.
‘Motives’ is the latest album from Colarado-based Thomas Hine, and it’s a Sunday morning of a release. The pace is relaxed and the mood is optimistic, his voice is set to chilled and the tone feels almost lazy. This is not an album to listen to before you go out. The heavy presence of the mandolin is perhaps the ‘something different’ about it (no more so than on the instrumental ‘Georgetown’).
It’s enjoyable, as well. It’s not something to engage with fully all of the way through, but if you’re after reading a book and spending an hour or two distressing then this is an appropriate soundtrack. This sort of album excels at being personal, and that’s where the reward kicks in. The vocals are laced with heart and feels are evoked well. You need to listen to the lyrics more to see what it’s all about, but likewise you can keep this on in the background and the meaning can be lost as well.
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So this is a pleasant album that is far from mesmerising, but remains entertaining nonetheless. Admittedly it’s something that could be lost into your collection if you don’t remember to fish it out and have that relaxing time, but when you do it’ll be a happy occasion.
The other joy of artists like Thomas Hine is that to someone, somewhere he’s going to be the best thing in the world. The lyrics will hit the mark and the feeling will emulate just how some people are feeling right now. Special to a few, interesting enough to many. That’s not a bad place to fall into.
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