Album review: Michael Johns' 'Hold Back My Heart'

Australian-born soul/rock artist Michael Johns becomes the fourth ‘Idol’ alum of the show’s seventh season to release a full-length album since wrapping up the competition. This album, titled ‘Hold Back My Heart,’ is a collection of soul/rock fusion that is something many fans have been longing for every since Johns was eliminated in eighth place.

Not to miss out on a chance to kick off the disc with a commercial appeal, Johns introduces audiences to ‘Heart’ with “Heart On My Sleeve,” the album’s first single. The life and soul poured into the James Morrison-penned tune is undeniable, and there’s a sense of catchiness that gives it a current feeling.

On the rousing “Feeling Alright,” Johns does a great job on making lyrics fit the musical accompaniment to a T. The use of subtle background vocals throughout the track complement his own distinguished vocals and give the song a three-dimensional feel. Another up-tempo track, “Fire,” is a platform on which Johns is able to incorporate the soul of yesterday, only everything is ratcheted up on the groove scale.

“Little Bear,” also in the throwback soul vein, similarly uses brass instrumentation to add intensity to the song, and it echoes in the memory of memorable hits like Stevie Wonder’s “Signed, Sealed, Delivered.”

Johns also tries his hand at the art form of covering, as his rendition of The Bee Gee’s “To Love Somebody” finds itself on ‘Heart.’ The throwback soul sound meshes surprisingly well with the rest of the album’s tracks. Another ballad, “It’s Too Late,” has a certain radio-friendly sound that gives it the possibility of working as a single in the future.

On “Mountains,” Johns uses imagery and symbolism in the lyrics to stress the song’s story (“I got high in your mountain / I was lost in your valley / I was washed into your ocean / and the tide rolled up I feel my heart stop beating”) and he brings out a signature growl beginning in the pre-chorus and staying with the rest of the song.

The album’s title track, “Hold Back My Heart,” is a relatively low-key R&B ballad that doesn’t really go anywhere until the bridge, where an emotional guitar solo totally breathes life into the song and pushes Johns to gush more effort into the vocals as well.

The weakest track on ‘Heart’ comes in the form of “This Is Goodbye,” as the ballad is nice and sweet but pretty lifeless and sounds like it could have appeared on Matchbox Twenty’s latest album. Another song that is on the dull side is “Heart Is Weak." Even though it builds to an inspiring finale, it feels a bit unoriginal when compared to the rest of the album’s tracks.

But the album‘s highlight does not come until its fifth song. “Fool’s Gold” is a more relaxed sounding, classic R&B track that allows Johns’ weathered vocals to impact the listener as if they were to just hover over the patrons of a lonely bar like a cloud of cigar smoke. The ending of the song is the icing on the cake and really brings out a rock edge, turning “Gold” into a completely different animal.

To finish off ‘Heart,’ Johns gives a heartfelt performance on “Turn to You” and relies heavily on an acoustic sound to support the story of a girl that helps him make it through the day. This is the ideal way for him to close the door on this chapter of his career.

Although the style of music found on ’Hold Back My Heart’ is not exactly what some fans pictured it to be, Michael Johns does not disappoint with the variety of material he has come up with here.

Hold Back My Heart can now be purchased at Amazon.com.