From Where I Stand- EP Review

Never Too Late written by Johnny Keyser,  Bobby Keyser, & Amber Caparas:

This song starts out Johnny’s first ever EP album, and it’s a hit!  With the soulful piano leading us in, Johnny’s voice carries the song and your heart with it.  It’s a chill song that has amazing depth.  We gotta love that Johnny  wrote all of these songs except for the final one, a cover of ” A Change is Gonna Come”.

From Where I Stand by Johnny Keyser:

His second song is one I was excited to hear ever since he let us listen to a piece of the song during a behind the scenes video clip a couple weeks ago!  It brought me chills then, and did again today.  His voice is so pure and honest; I love everything about this song.  It’s a slower song and it shows that Johnny knows how to write, as this was his first song he sat down and wrote all by himself.  You can tell that this song is about his journey of becoming a musician and finding himself.  The way that he plays with words and his voice, shows that he has real raw talent that can’t be taught.

We Try by Johhny Keyser & Amber Caparas:

This song was written by Johnny and Amber Caparas.  The simple guitar in the background lets Johnny’s voice shine.  He knows how to carry you through a song, making you feel every emotion of every word.  The song reminds me of a time in your life when you want to do something more, but just can’t get yourself to fully commit.  The vocal runs throughout the song are beautiful, which are one of the reasons Johnny is so special.  He has such control over some pretty difficult notes. A great song overall!

In the Bitter by Johhny Keyser & Amber Caparas:

This song was put on Youtube a few weeks ago, as one of his first performances of an original song, alongside “Selah”.  It was beautiful then, and even more so now, with the piano softly accompanying his smooth as butter voice.  This song seems to be a “bitter” sweet love song, that I bet many people can relate to.  Written by Johnny & Amber again, this song is definitely one of the best on the album.

Selah by Johhny Keyser, Amber Caparas, & Wayne C:

This was my favorite song coming into this album, as Johnny played it at the Bluebird Cafe in TN a couple weeks ago.  I was hooked since then.  I knew I wanted to hear it recorded, and thankfully they used it, and made it even better!  This song was written by Johnny, Amber & Wayne Caparas, a song that was sitting in their family for years, but never got fully finished until now.  The title is intriguing in itself, so I looked up the word and wrote a post about what I thought the song meant after I heard it.  The guitar is a perfect choice for this song.  With Amber singing background in the chorus, it gives it more depth and interest than some of the other songs. Also, when he sings “Crash another wave down to foam” it actually feels like a wave is crashing in the song! That was one of my favorite additions from his original performance.  Again, just another amazing way Johnny can play with words and make you feel them differently than other artists.

Early Morning Rain by Johhny Keyser, Amber Caparas, & Wayne C:

This song was introduced to us during his behind the scenes video a couple weeks ago.  The instrument used in this song was described as a “Ganjo”, a half guitar, half banjo.  This song is a quicker paced song that fits perfectly with the sound of the Ganjo.  I love it because it is so unique!  The song is fun and soulful, allowing him to show off his range of singing techniques.  There is a hint of spite towards the woman in the song, which gives it this incredible edge, it’s hard to describe!

A Change is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke:

This is the classic “Johnny Keyser song”, as it was his audition song on American Idol earlier this year.  So it was appropriate that he pay homage back to the song that got him noticed!  His audition sparked my attention right away.  I knew from then on that he was going to be a star, like J-Lo said.  We have heard him sing this song in many performances after Idol, and I am in love with this recording.  He does this song better than the original.  Singing an older song and creating a current recording of it is hard, and he managed to do so!

Wrap-Up:

It has been a long journey for Johnny and his family and friends.  But this is just the beginning, as his EP is AMAZING! Once more people hear it and share it, and he is free from the Idol contract this summer, I know he will be picked up with a major recording label.  He deserves it so much, so let’s support him by showing everyone you know about Johnny, like I am!

Also, I just wanted to say that I had an amazing time working with Wayne C, his manager, on designing the album artwork, which you can buy at his official music website www.johnnykeysermusic.com ! Or download from iTunes or Amazon to listen now!

What are your thoughts on his first ever EP? Comment below!

Enjoy,

-S

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