The Digital Musician – Every Hero Has A Song Album Sampler

The Digital Musician – Every Hero Has A Song – Album Sampler/Singles Review

This is interesting stuff, and quite honestly, important work.

When I first read about this whole project…a combination of mediums between a written story and a series of songs, all based on REAL-LIFE superheroes…well…how could I not have been intrigued, right?  Superheroes don’t exist, you say?  I beg to differ.  In fact, I’m confident that most of us have run into one or two throughout our lifetimes…probably more.  Some folks will tell you that living with disabilities is a challenge – and in many ways, that’s objectively true – but what The Digital Musician with his tale of Bobby Blaze & The Extraordinary Eight is here to do, is help society reframe our thinking around the social stigmas that get attached to the disabled community, by revealing a delightful cast of characters that have learned to celebrate their uniqueness loud and proud – all with the altruistic intentions of inspiring others through their journey.  As a person that has a brother with special needs, I certainly appreciate all that’s being done here.  It’s meaningful, it’s selfless – and you know something else?  It’s fun.  That’s the real key ingredient here.

Now…obviously I’m realistic about what I do and what I do listen to on a personal level…but that’s just personal taste, an opinion, and one that generally-speaking, comes from outside of the target demographic when it comes to music like this.  Don’t get it twisted – I listen to a track like the main intro – “Red Hot Hero” – and the passion LEAPS outta your speakers.  Big, bright, bold and engaging sounds…exactly what you’d want to get kids excited about what they’re about to dig into.  They’ll be singin’ this around the house, and chances are, with references to DeNiro and such, the parents will be singin’ it too.  It’s that classic hybrid method that’s been timeless for years and years – you want lively music that captures everyone’s attention, but when it comes to the content, you can cleverly drift between what’ll appeal to kids while also having a few references here & there that the parents will smile about when they catch’em during a listen.  This music is ALIVE as it gets though – it sounds like a full-scale Hollywood production, and I can only imagine that something like that might actually be in the cards for Bobby Blaze & The Extraordinary Eight.  It’s not at all hard to conceive of the possibility that if the book and the music took off, then a show or a movie might not be that far behind.  It’s certainly well made – there’s zero doubt about that.  I’ve never been the musical-type of dude when it comes to what I tend to listen to myself, but through watching movies on endless repeat with my eternally younger brother, I can tell you he would LOVE something like this theme song and it’d be all I’d hear around the house for the next seven months straight if he was to get his hands on this.  The vocals are genuinely impressive to listen to…but really, it all is – this is precisely how to get the kids excited through music.

We meet our first superhero in this next song – she’s known as Nikki Night-Vision, who was born blind.  These tracks are essentially each character’s origin story from what I understand…and again, I couldn’t help but get a little choked up as I listened to such inspiring tales.  Musically, “My Heart And His Eyes” shifts the sound closer to Adult Contemporary or Light Pop…which may or may not be your thing – but performance-wise, c’mon y’all…it’s nothing short of perfect.  Nikki’s got a spectacular voice, and when it comes time for those big notes…I’m tellin’ ya…she’s singing at an all-star level.  I love how we get insightful details to her backstory as we listen…how she’s been able to transform her disability and what could have potentially been a weakness, right into her main strengths.  While she might not see the world in the same way as many of us do, her perspective might very well be more beautiful as a result.  She’s able to pick up on things that the rest of us can’t with heightened awareness in her other senses – and she’s also got her trusted guide dog (her “four legged angel”) Sparky by her side the whole time.  Hearing the resounding confidence in Nikki’s voice is all you need to hear to know she’s singing out her truth and that she believes in every word you hear on “My Heart And His Eyes.”  I’ll fully admit, I don’t think I knew just how much this might have affected me on an emotional level as I started listening to these songs earlier this week, but hearing the resilient spirit in Nikki’s voice always teared me up.  It’s beautiful stuff y’all…that’s the facts.  You can feel the true strength Nikki that shows us as she sings.

It’s only fair that we give Sparky his own time in the spotlight after “My Heart And His Eyes,” through his own dedicated theme song, “Sparky The Super Dog.”  Similar to how the main intro works, the colorful vibes of this track are as vibrant as you could potentially imagine.  Half built of pure Jazz any musician would be proud to put their name to, half built on the showy, musical-style of tune that holds endless appeal to the younger kids out there…I mean, it’s obviously for kids, but I’m here for it!  I love Jazz, I love dogs, I love heroes…what’s not to love here?  Sounds like Sparky & Nikki would make for quite the team if you ask me.  Complete with many “woofs” in the background in case there were a few of you out there that weren’t sure they were listening to a track about a superdog…”he’s not just a pet, he’s family.”  With vocals that sound as impressive as anything you’ve heard outta Brendon Urie’s catalog, and music that’s absolutely amazing to listen to…I mean…yeah…I gotta give credit where credit is due – what Bobby Blaze & The Extraordinary Eight are doing in these songs is going to be a seriously BIG DEAL.  Don’t get me wrong, I’d always be the first to tell you that the real reward in doing something like this, is actually in the doing of something like this…as in, it’s about the journey and not just the destination…but at the end of the day, there’s incredible mainstream potential in what I’m hearing here…the kind of stuff that entire franchises are built on, you feel me?  Award-worthy type-stuff, to be clear.  Sure it’s planned to be music and literature right now, but what I’m hearing has all the implications of cinematic stories that could be presented from audiobooks to movies…it could be your new Saturday cartoon – you never know…but I’m tellin’ ya, you might be hearing about this project for the first time on these pages of ours, but the dedication, commitment, and effort being put in here is staggering…and I guarantee this won’t be the last time that you hear about Bobby Blaze & The Extraordinary Eight.  “Sparky The Super Dog” is a song that any kid out there would LOVE…and again, with the music being so righteously awesome along with it, I’m willing to bet adults will dig it just as much.  I know I did!  Heck, I’d go as far as to say that with a theme song as strong as this, Sparky might just get his own spinoff show one day.

Thunderstrike 21 sings the tale of what it’s like to be a girl living with Down’s Syndrome on “Born To Shine.”  “They think I am different, but different means strong, the heart inside my chest has been singing all along” – love it.  Overall, this is another extremely big and bold track that is built to inspire – and I think that’ll be the main take away when it comes right down to it.  It’s relentlessly infused with positivity at every twist and turn, and it’s got another exceptional performance paired along with it.  I did start to wonder a little bit about the logistics in how these songs are created when I heard this particular tune…and how that might land with its potential audience.  Again, just being objective here – I mean…even hearing “Born To Shine” as a person without disabilities, I’m listening to vocals that are outright superhuman…to the point where, if you’re following me, it might prove to be tougher for the intended listeners to identify with…because it really does sound THAT professional.  So…I guess what I’m getting at is that what you’re hearing, despite its intentions, might be appealing more to the exceptions than the standard – make sense?  I’d love to be able to sing like Thunderstrike 21 – almost ALL of us would – but I don’t know if that’s a realistic goal if I’m being entirely real with ya.  Now…as to whether or not that matters to the kiddos out there or not, I don’t know that it does…I think all they likely want and need is a song they can sing along with in their own voice…and they’ll definitely do that with “Born To Shine,” which is built with all the kinds of tried, tested, and true dynamics that people respond to.  Just some food for thought I suppose…representation occurs in a wide variety of ways…it doesn’t always need to be completely obvious, and it doesn’t always equate to what our assumptions of it would be either…but at the same time, you want to make sure the target audience in a project like this can relate to it as much as possible too.  Accuracy is still an important element as well – you know what I mean?  It’s a very difficult balance to strike, but you want these inspirational songs and moments in music to still feel attainable to everyone that would be listening.  It’s all very interesting stuff to think about whether it’s the stunning results of what you hear, or the implications of where music like this could be found, or considering what it could go on to do once it gets officially released…there is a whole lot of potential here and from everything I’ve read about it, it’s music genuinely being made for all the right reasons.  Content-wise, songs like “Born To Shine” are flawlessly designed to be as inspiring as they truly sound.

“Born In The Shadows” is one of the neatest tracks in this set I’ve been listening to.  Sung by Big Bad Billy, the music takes a decisive turn into the Rock realm at this point in the lineup.  Now…I know what you’re thinking – by definition, that should probably make it a little closer to my own personal taste, right?  Ahhh you’d think so…but you’d be wrong lol.  I’m way more onboard with the other stuff I’ve heard so far…which isn’t a knock on the performance here…everything’s so polished and professional that you can’t take any points away from a track like “Born In The Shadows.”  It’s just way closer to something like Bon Jovi & whatnot that it gets the hairs on the back of my born-Grunge next standing up in resistance.  It’s almost like an old tune by Survivor…you know…”Eye Of The Tiger” and such?  It’s got that kind of energy goin’ on.  I’ve been there, it’s just not my thing.  Anyhow.  It might be YOURS and that’s all that ever matters…I just report on what I hear.  What I do really like about this particular track and the character of Big Bad Billy is that the perspective actually flips completely here – and it’s really where you start to see some of the most impressive insight into a project like Bobby Blaze & The Extraordinary Eight.  By all accounts, Big Bad Billy SHOULD be a villain based on how he grew up and faced such adversity at home…but what if all villains were just intensely misunderstood and they just needed a friend?  What if, as society, we all viewed angry people as just needing some compassion and a freakin’ HUG y’all?  I know…it’s not going to be the easiest sell…we’re a naturally fearful bunch as human beings, and it’s tougher to want to reach out to those that might bristle at our empathy – but maybe the mark of a real superhero is that we try ANYWAY.  “Born In The Shadows” reminds us that we all have a role to play in how we interact with each other, and that the smallest gestures can often make a BIG difference in someone else’s life.  So…you know…when you come across a Big Bad Billy of your own in life, maybe that’s our cue to actually let our guard down and use the opportunity for the greater good instead.  We can all do something to make this planet we share a better place, and this tale of turning a possible villain into an ally, is a message that I would only hope that we’re all fully receiving.

After all the thinkin’ I’ve been doin’ regarding this project designed for kids, I was relieved to listen to “Gary The Puffin” at the end of this set, because I just needed to unwind a little bit, you know?  That’s not to say that there isn’t still much to be considered about this tiny final hero I’m writing about in this review – there is…he’s an inspiring little dude that’s mighty in stature…but you’ll get what I mean when you have a listen for yourself.  There are tracks like “Sparky The Super Dog” and “Gary The Puffin” that are designed to be much more lighthearted and upbeat, and that’s kind of nice when it comes to the overall balance in the content.  What’s also great about that, is that there’s a wide range of appeal here in this whole set…like…I’d say that kids as young as two or three would already be into a bunch of this stuff, and certainly tracks like “Gary The Puffin” – but ultimately, I think children even up to twelve would likely still be into it too.  Then you’ve got more mature cuts in the mix here too, and that expands the range of ages that could get into this even more.  What I really like about the whole project overall is that, sure, folks of any age with disabilities will love how they’ve been celebrated as heroes – that’s cool – but perhaps even more importantly, those that don’t have disabilities will hear their circumstances and stories in a totally different way…and maybe, just maybe, it’s projects like Bobby Blaze & The Extraordinary Eight that help us move the needle of our evolution in a slightly more humane way.  The values on display throughout this whole set of songs has been nothing but admirable.  I’m not hearing an ounce of problematic content, insincerity, or anything that’s not well thought-out when it comes right down to it…this all hits the mark of its intentions in serving that greater good, and I love that.  I’m just “keeping it real” with ya, like my man “Gary The Puffin” would do – so take it from him and The Digital Musician, not from me.  There’s plenty of validity in a project like this, and that’s only exceeded by its potential to reach and connect with the hearts & minds out there around the globe that really need to hear these inspiring stories.

Find the new album Every Hero Has A Song by The Digital Musician at Apple Music here:  https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/the-digital-musician/1842936478

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