Sollars – Sometimes I Feel

Sollars – Sometimes I Feel – EP Review

Crazy.  According to these pages of ours, it’s been about three years since we last had the music of Sollars on our site in review.  His music made an appearance on the SBS Podcast about a couple years ago, but in general, yeah…it’s longer than I would have thought it has been, considering how well I feel like I remember this dude’s tunes.  In any event…glad to have him back in action where he belongs.

I’ve always been a fan of Sollars from the moment I first heard the guy’s music, and I continue to be a fan to this very day.  I’m stoked to report that there is indeed, gold in them thar hills…there’s some absolutely outstanding material on the Sometimes I Feel EP…tunes this guy should seriously be proud of.

Is it ALL gold though?  Ohhhhh folks, it so rarely is for any artist or band out there…so c’mon…a grain of salt if you can spare one.  I’ll say this upfront – the man’s baseline is way better than most, and what’s good about Sometimes I Feel is undeniably great.  We all kind of need context to know the difference though, right?  When you’re spinning your way through the title track at the start of the record and you come to the conclusion that it ain’t bad…I mean, that’s all you know about it at the beginning, you feel me?  It’s not until you end up drifting into the next cut that you realize how much of a difference there is between the content on track one & track two…but we’ll get to that.  Suffice it to say, “Sometimes I Feel” works well enough as a gateway intro more or less…it’s a fairly inconsequential cut at less than two minutes in total length if I’m being truthful with ya…but I do have the advantage of knowing what comes next.  “Sometimes I Feel” establishes the tone to a degree, if not necessarily in sound, then in content…but I’d say it probably does both.  That familiar melancholy we know that Sollars is so capable of creating is threaded into the main hooks of this opening track, and the bars that occur in between give it a more noticeably hybrid design.  It’s a good cut…but if this was all there is to the EP, I would have likely wanted more.  Thankfully “Sometimes I Feel” really plays more like a quick interlude on the way in before a more multidimensional & diverse set-list is revealed in the rest to follow.

Here’s the thing though…our ears can’t help but recognize greatness when they hear it.  What good would it be to tell you that “Sometimes I Feel” is a great track, when you can hear the astounding country miles of difference between the quality of an idea like that and what you’ll hear on “Walking My Dog.”  It doesn’t even take a full spin through it for you to know this is a genuinely special song that has the X-factor intangibles so many others don’t have…and if you’re listening with the same kind of ears that I have, I’d imagine we’ll all quickly come to the conclusion that “Walking My Dog” would easily be right up there with the very best we’ve ever heard from Sollars.  From my perspective, there’s practically no comparison needed to be made…a track like this is in a league of its own, in my opinion.  The man’s leaning way more heavily into the melancholy vibe here, but LISTEN to the results of his commitment will ya?  By shedding his skin and being vulnerable with his listening audience, he’s come out with a song that will give you the kinds of chills and shivers you get when you truly connect to something real.  For real…I can’t say enough about this track…I love the backing vocals, I love the guitar/piano combination at the heart of it all…and Sollars, is at his emotionally-driven best here.  It’s a devastating song of course, don’t get it twisted…but there’s real magic at the heart of this tune.  His use of pace and space in this cut gives it such a thought-provoking layer of authenticity & sincerity that works brilliantly with his words.  All-in-all, I’m a massive fan of what I’m hearing in this tune (in case you couldn’t tell by now) – tracks like this transcend what a typical song can be like to listen to, and becomes a memorable experience that is genuinely important.  People are gonna find a track like “Walking My Dog” when they really need to hear it, you know what I mean?  Sollars’ open honesty is a beautiful thing here…it might be sad as sad can be in many ways, but being able to write & record a song like this shows an undeniable strength too.

To an extent, “Content” might be even more impressive by some measurements.  I mean…I’m gonna tell you directly that for myself personally, I’m here for “Walking My Dog” as the stronger of the two songs, so don’t get it twisted…but what I’m saying is the fact that “Content” held its own so well coming after such a monumental new entry to the Sollars catalog that I couldn’t help but acknowledge what a true achievement that felt like.  The consistency we’re hoping this dude is going to tap into as he surges into his prime will need to be built on strong back-to-back moments like you’ll find with “Walking My Dog” and “Content” on the Sometimes I Feel EP.  Where Sollars is really excelling on this track, and the record at-large, is that he’s really listening to the music, feelin’ it, and going with the flow in a very natural way.  It makes a massive difference when that’s the case – LISTEN to the way he uses the rhythm of his words on “Content” and how he’s able to pivot and shift gears as he makes his way through the hooks with such noticeable precision.  You know how like…like say you’re watching basketball, and they talk about how when you really get to your prime, it’s like the whole game slows down for you?  The right moves become automatic…simply an extension of who you are.  That’s what it was like to listen to “Content” for me…it sounds like Sollars is dialed right into what makes him great, and he’s executing with supreme confidence.  As he should be!  The material is stellar…but make no mistake, it’s because he’s so ready for the moment where preparation meets opportunity…as in, it’s his performances that are giving the songs the added edge.  He’s making the connection between the music and the microphone the real highlight.

“Grey Clouds” was an interesting track to me in the sense that, content-wise, I dig it…but I wasn’t always sure about whether or not he picked the right gear or tone for the main hook.  Everything else surrounding it is pretty much pure gold and a win without question, but yeah, I wasn’t always convinced the main hooks came out to their max potential, even if I’d be the first to tell ya they’re still damn catchy.  Dig that robust-ass bass yo!  Loving that without a doubt.  Look…it’s hard to find something that specifically pisses me off about “Grey Clouds” – I guess I’d tell ya it’s not “Walking My Dog,” and it’s still not quite “Content” – but it IS another solid cut in the lineup.  Running rampant with emo-style energy in the mix for ya…I mean…the IDEA is fantastic…and like, c’mon that switch just prior to the end of the first minute is freakin’ brilliant.  If anything this cut could have a used a little more of that I guess, but I fully understand why Sollars would have been attached to the main hooks as well.  I suspect he’s still got another 10% in the tank that will develop as he continues to gain experience with this track, but even as it stands, I’m confident that the majority of folks will dig what he’s got goin’ on with “Grey Clouds.”  It’s really only by comparison that it pales a little bit…but like, the reality is that Sollars was superhuman in the tracks right before “Grey Clouds.”  Now he’s nearly back down to regular human levels…not quite, but close…and of course we’re gonna notice that.  It’s not that “Grey Clouds” is a bad track whatsoever – it’s that tracks like “Walking My Dog” and “Content” are undeniably great ones.  Blame me for noticing if you like…but yeah…ultimately, this is a backhanded compliment about the quality of his best tunes here.

Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnd…you can take my comments on “Grey Clouds” and flip’em around for the final cut called “Tell Me Why.”  For myself personally, it was the main hooks of “Tell Me Why” that knocked it right outta the park, and just about everything else in the verses I questioned every time I listened to it.  The production and the music is fantastic, let’s be clear about that.  In fact, Sollars has really done a superb job with that throughout this entire lineup of songs, regardless of what might appeal to our personal tastes more.  But c’mon y’all…when he’s singing “tell me why, why do we run?” he’s beyond perfect…that’s the vibe right there without question.  Now…if you want my theory as to WHY this particular piece of the song resonates and makes lasting impact on us…I mean…we could circle back around to the whole use of space and pace, and you’d find the most that exists in this track is right where I quoted him.  Dude sounds INCREDIBLE in the hooks of this last track…it might even be THE hook of all hooks when it comes right down to the content of this EP.  When he’s fillin’ up the metering in the verses of “Tell Me Why,” I don’t love it as much…I think that might have felt a little too matchy-matchy or like a rhythm that’s obvious or been explored in music before I guess…but hey, it’s not like I’m straight up saying it doesn’t work.  It does…it’s fine…it fills the space until I get back to the spots I love the most in “Tell Me Why,” and I ain’t hatin’ on it – but like I was tellin’ you earlier, when you lock into greatness, it’s something every set of ears can hear on a universal level.  So to me, there’s a bit of an imbalance to this last cut in that respect, but I’m still happy to get a piece of greatness if it’s not the whole thing…a fragment can be all the reason you need to return to a song, and what’s good about this final cut indeed has that greatness I’ve been so addicted to in the best cuts you’ll find on this new EP.

Find out more about Sollars from this multi-link here:  https://linktr.ee/sollars

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