Neil Fergus – “Other Sky” / “Lazy Moon”

Music Reviews
Jer@SBS
May 10, 2023
0

Neil Fergus – “Other Sky” / “Lazy Moon” – Singles Review

Ayyyy for sure – I can get behind this without a doubt.

It’s interesting when you hear music that not only reminds you of something else, but also really sounds like it in terms of the production as well. When I put on Neil Fergus’ single “Other Sky” for the first time I thought to myself, ‘that reminds me a lot of the early days of Better Than Ezra’ – and then I realized that it wasn’t only because his vocals were very comparable to the legendary Kevin Griffin, but also because there was a genuine warmth and muted production that seemed to adorn the whole sound. While I can appreciate that it might not totally be the sound everyone out there might want in that regard, to my ears it’s quite a welcome one, and I’m positive that I won’t be alone in that. It’s almost like “Other Sky” has been able to tune out every other iota of ambience, you know what I mean? If it didn’t sound so undeniably pleasant, it could potentially even make ya feel claustrophobic, know what I mean? Regardless of how you feel about the production values for better or worse, the reality is that Neil’s certainly got himself a stellar song here in “Other Sky.” This is the kind of songwriting that deserves to be noticed as far as I’m concerned – I think he’s hit that mix of Pop/Rock bang-on when it comes right down to it…I’ll remember hearing this song without a doubt, and I listen to a whole lot of music! It’s got the spirit of that early 90s style of writing and the sincerity you’d find on records like Better Than Ezra’s Deluxe that originally broke them into the scene, and/or the depth you’d find in something like Toad The Wet Sprocket. Of the two tracks I’ve got here in front of me on this playlist of mine, “Other Sky” is more suited to my own personal taste without a doubt, but I do really like both tunes. “The coming storm’s no stranger, and the clouds all know my name” is nothing short of a 100% brilliant line in this song, and it’s simply one of many insightful & poetic lines you’ll find from Neil. I dig the way the man sings with such profound confidence in his lead vocals, I absolutely love how the bass comes into play on “Other Sky,” the harmonies work perfectly, the breakdown is stellar, the hooks are completely strong…there’s absolutely nothing I’d even remotely change about how this song came out. After this initial experience with his music alone, I’d certainly listen to anything this guy sends my way.

As for this other single I’ve got here, called “Lazy Moon” – this is that confirmation you wanna hear from an artist like Fergus, that proves what you heard before wasn’t merely a fluke, and that he’s got more than one great song. The most you’ll find me conceding to ya is that I’m not quite as sure about the degree of memorability in this particular track by comparison to what we just witnessed in “Other Sky” beforehand. It could be just as memorable…time will tell the tale on that of course, as it always does – but I suspect the extra delicate demeanor of a track like “Lazy Moon” might prove to be tougher to stick in our ol’ brainwaves. Anyhow. In terms of the actual songwriting and execution, Neil’s firing at a truly all-star level and I hear absolutely no concerns at all in that department. This dude knows how to make a song connect, and he’s done another remarkable job on “Lazy Moon” when it comes to his attention to detail. For real folks, this tune sparkles and shines…it’s practically a lullaby when you think about it, and arguably, there’s more of Neil in this song that is less comparable to other artists/bands you’ve heard. That’s never a bad thing. No joke though y’all, he’s got another excellent song here from start to finish, and I’d reckon there’d be more than enough people out there that would feel just as attached to this tune as I felt towards “Other Sky.” Ultimately, I’d say that the whole vibe of “Lazy Moon” is more endearing, inviting, graceful, and charming than you’d probably say that “Other Sky” is by comparison, and personally I really like that within these two tracks, the very first two that I’ve heard from Fergus, we can see he’s got an extremely versatile sound that has multiple dimensions to it. We’re likely lookin’ at more of a single-worthy style of song with “Other Sky,” but we could very well be looking at a song in “Lazy Moon” that has the potential to be played in a whole bunch of other spaces given its naturally inoffensive sound and the soothing, calm vibe it provides. It’s always a great thing when your music can end up in different places for entirely different reasons…to be truthful with ya, I think if people were put to the test in a blindfolded situation, they might not even realize that both songs were actually by Neil and not two separate artists altogether! We might just have a bit of a chameleon-esque type situation here…but again, that’s never a bad thing. In fact, I’d be the first to tell ya there’s always an advantage in favor of an artist that can slide right into multiple realms of sound with this much ease…especially when you factor in the genuinely stellar songwriting & authentic sincerity you find in an artist like Neil Fergus.