Check out the new concept album from Rusty Shipp!
Check out the new concept album from Rusty Shipp!

JFH Indie Review

JFH Indie Music Spotlight Review

Brandon Michael Williams & Seth Andrew Hecox

Brandon Michael Williams & Seth Andrew Hecox
All Folked Up

Album length: 10 tracks: 48 minutes, 52 seconds
Street Date: December 4, 2012


You probably know Seth Hecox as the longstanding guitarist/keyboardist for the metal band Becoming the Archetype. What you may not know is that he is also a fan of the softer side of things musically. In the past he's dabbled in the Britpop influenced band Anchors, and now he's turned to the folk side of things. Now, after a successful Kickstarter campaign, Seth has teamed up with friend Brandon Michael Williams and created All Folked Up.

Although the title paints this as a folk album, there's really a lot more going on here. The opening track, "Without a Spark," certainly features a lot of folk-flavored acoustic guitar, and there are dashes of country in the form of slide guitars and piano throughout the album, but there are other influences as well. Vocally, the style is much more what you would expect from an indie alt-rock band than the fragile wavering typical of folk music. Lyrically, there's definitely some folksy storytelling, but there's also some worship influence. A good example of such a stylistic combination is the track "Speechless is My Love." This eight-minute ramble sounds almost like a country-influenced Radiohead track. The slide guitar is unmistakable, but the vocals and pacing could have been pulled straight from The Bends. The slight praise influence appears at the end of the track with a worshipful "Father of Lights... I long to be possessed by you." They even cap off the album with a re-imagining of the classic hymns "It Is Well" and "Come Thou Fount." Although pulling from a variety of influences, the end result actually meshes very well.

The primary strength of this album is melody. As befitting the genre, the instrumentation is pretty minimal, and serves mostly as unassuming accompaniment. The vocals are serviceable but not exceptional. However, the melodies are excellent throughout and show a lot of attention to careful songwriting. Some examples of strong, pleasant melodies are "Last Time I Asked for More" and "It's Okay to Be Human." The latter track also has some perfectly honest and whimsical lyrics to accompany the tune, such as "It's okay to cry, even in public." and "It's okay to laugh, even really hard."

The album as a whole tends to push forward at a pretty low energy level, which isn't unexpected for a folk project. The aforementioned melodies are more relaxing than bombastic, and the vocals are gentle and unassuming for the most part. In a way, there's some similarity to the shoegaze style of Starflyer 59. They have a lot to say, they just don't do it loudly. That's not to say there aren't some more upbeat tracks. "Without a Spark" and "It's Okay to be Human" both have a little more energy and are two of the album's highlights. Although the momentum does tend to drag a little in some of the longer tracks, and the vocals can be somewhat shaky at times, All Folked Up is a truly good album. As the product of just two guys who wanted to make a folk album, they've done very well. And if you thought a metalhead couldn't mellow down, this will show you otherwise.

- Review date: 12/5/12, written by Timothy Estabrooks of Jesusfreakhideout.com



(JFH Sponsor Spot)

Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

 

. Record Label: None
. Album length: 10 tracks: 48 minutes, 52 seconds
. Street Date: December 4, 2012
. Buy It: Amazon.com

  1. Without a Spark (5:07)
  2. Wake Up (4:12)
  3. Last Time I Asked for More (3:48)
  4. What Your Father Said (3:07)
  5. Speechless Is My Love (8:34)
  6. The Mess I'm In (3:00)
  7. Remember to Forget You (7:39)
  8. It's Ok to Be Human (5:12)
  9. Shadows (3:35)
  10. It Is Well (4:38)

 

 

 

go to main Indie review page
go to Indie Review Index

 

                 
Check out JFH's Lloyd in his first-ever childrens book!

Search JFH



This Friday, June 27, 2025
ALBUMS
7eventh Time Down We Praise You [BEC]
The Browns 25th Anniversary: Better Days Ahead [StowTown]
Franni Cash Wild Child - EP [Capitol CMG]
Matt Crocker interlude [Anotherland]
Jimmy Fortune Songs of an American Dreamer [Gaither]
Roxanne Grace Road Trip - EP [DREAM]
JJ Hairston & Youthful Praise The Live Reunion: Washington, DC [James Town]
Kutless The Seventh Seal - EP [BEC]
Evvie McKinney It Ain't Over - EP (independent)
Rusty Shipp Capsized Empire (independent)
SEU Worship A Forgiving God [Provident]
The Shimmering Carnelians The Doorway (Version 2.0) (independent)
We Are Messengers A Thousand Times - EP [Curb]

SINGLES
Anchor & Braille Rattlesnake - Single [Equal Vision]
ANTHNY imposter syndrome - Single [Provident]
Blanca Right On Time - Single [Curb]
Landry Cantrell & Elenee sunshine & rainbows - Single [DREAM]
Eddie Clark Never Content - Single [Syntax]
Colony House Atomic - Single [Roon]
Megan Danielle Preachin' To The Choir - Single [Provident]
Drea LP & OnBeatMusic Don't Try Me (DTM) - Single [Syntax]
ELI GABLE Glory Bound - Single [Capitol CMG]
Joseph Habedank Running to Me - Single [Daywind]
Lonnie Hunter Flow (Like A River) - Single [Uncle G]
Kashh Kade HELP - Single [Syntax]
KB x KEANU Keanu's Song - Single [Provident]
Tasha Layton Singing In the Dark - Single [BEC]
Tasha Cobbs Leonard The Hand That Keeps Holding - Single [Motown Gospel]
Claire Leslie Thank God I'm Not Alone (from Claire's Phone) - Single [Capitol CMG]
Tim Lovelace Celebration of America Medley (feat. Charlie McCoy) - Single [StowTown]
Lecrae Tell No Lie (feat. Jackie Hill Perry) - Single [Reach]
LO Worship The Perfect Love of Jesus - Single [Integrity]
Patrick Mayberry Thank The Lord - Single [Provident]
Michael Monroe John The Baptist (feat. Chris Renzema) - Single [Provident]
Alexander Pappas A Great Awakening / Un Nuevo Despertar - Single [Integrity]
PEABOD Summer in Seattle - Single [RMG Amplify]
Rave Jesus Walk On The Water Remix (From The Chosen) - Single [Provident]
The Rocky Valentines Nat Song - Single [Velvet Blue]
Tommy Royale, gio. Like Dat - Single [Capitol CMG]
Saints In Exile & Cutright My Dead End (ft. Jeannie Ortega, Luc DiMarzio, Jericko) - Single [Syntax]
Emilie Weiss Take Care (Studio Sessions) - Single [BEC]

DVD
Jimmy Fortune Songs Of An American Dreamer DVD [Gaither]

Next Friday, July 4, 2025
ALBUMS
Chad Cory America [DREAM]
Tenielle Neda The Way Of Love [Wings]

SINGLES
Christian Back Now - Single [DREAM]



For all release dates, click here!
 

Check out depositphotos for royalty free images