Indiana Sun shows Coy stays true to his style and his loyal fans.
Artwork by Ed Gloor
As an ardent supporter of the small town singer/songwriter Chase Coy, I was counting down the days until April 12th for the release of his new acoustic rock album Indiana Sun. Chase was promoting his album as being more upbeat than any of his previous albums, which excited me because it would help him appeal to a bigger demographic of listeners. I was also pleased to find out that some of the songs included on the album were ones I heard live at his concert in June. He sounded just as good recorded as he does in person.
The album is similar to his former ones in the sense that Coy always expresses his true feelings, good or bad, about life and love. For example, I Fell in Love Once talks about the feeling of lost love and of not wanting to get hurt by love once again. On a happier note however, his songs Angel and Fixing Me are about the joyful feeling that love is and, of course, as upbeat as promised. The underlying theme beneath every song is optimism. Even though love is lost, love can always be found again. Coy even states that the effect he wants the album to have on listeners is that there is always a silver lining. He says, “I always try to maintain a sense of optimism and hope in my music, and try to write about things in a positive light even if they’re not necessarily the happiest, most upbeat tunes.”
After touring all over the country for his previous album Picturesque, Coy realized his love for his home in Indiana. The song Indiana Sun is upbeat and expressive of hometown pride. Lyrics like, “I’ve been waiting just to be back home again and feel the Indiana sun shine on my skin,” give his listeners a sense of pride in their roots, no matter where they may be from.
In Coy’s monthly newsletter to his loyal fans, he talks about how much he has changed over the past year and how that shows in his album. He said, “I think the songs just come across as a bit more mature than my previous albums. I really tried to vary them too, as far as the production went, and I think that shows in the recordings.” Well, I would have to agree with the artist. While his last album consisted of softer, slow songs, he’s added some faster songs, sounding more like the style of Jason Mraz. However, as far as Coy is concerned, he doesn’t think that his style of music has changed. “I don’t think I strayed from my sound so much as developed it into something a little more varied and interesting. There are definitely songs on this album that could’ve come straight off Picturesque, but there are upbeat ones to break that up and give more interest to the album,” said Coy.
While critics may not like the new upbeat tunes he’s added, diehard fans like me applaud Chase Coy. It doesn’t change my primary reason for liking him: his voice. He still has the smooth, soft Chase Coy voice I fell in love with two years ago. His lyrics are still full of meaning and his guitar skills are still top-notch. If anything, adding more upbeat songs will just expand his fan base.
The only problem I had with the album was the fact that the song Princess ended so abruptly. The duration of the song is a mere 43 seconds. It just seems unfinished, which is not the Chase Coy I’m used to. I wanted him to go deeper like in his other songs. I heard him perform that song live last year, and when I saw it was listed on his new album I assumed he had finished it. I was disappointed when I realized that it still was not finished.
That little 43 second complaint aside, I recommend the album to anyone. It’s relaxing enough to help me unwind after a long day, but not so much that it will put me to sleep. This album has given me a soft reminder as to why I love music – especially Chase Coy’s music – so much.
★★★★☆
