Sean Rowe

Add Date: February 15

Artist: Sean Rowe

Album: Magic

Label: ANTI-

Genre: Folk, rock

Comments: Though I've never participated in murderous plots to hold onto stolen kingdoms, I can understand, in relation to music, Shakespeare's line from Macbeth that "blood begets blood". My frenetic lifestyle as a student leads me to listen to the frenetic, complicated pop, rock, and, yes, even rap that is ubiquitous on college radio and on my iPod. In turn, this clamorous noise engenders more frenzy. The cycle never ends. Emotions and music will always build on each other in a cyclical fashion.

In the midst of this increasingly crazed state of mind, Sean Rowe's Magic provides a much needed reprieve. In every sense of the word, this album is minimalist. The soft plucking of acoustic and electric guitars provide generous space for the vocals and lyrics to be the focal point. Rowe uses his deep voice to croon, bellow, and whisper through the tracks, which ponder and speak of the confusion and quiet beauty of living. Magic will settle your room and quiet your soul. The album is worth listening to all the way through, but start with "Surprise," "American," and "Night."