Due out on the thirtieth of June, All My Bad Habits Have Prepared Me For This is the new album from songwriter TJ Stafford. The artist blends genres to create his own unique sound. One of his aims is to create music that is powerful and thought-provoking. He recently released the video for lead single Crazy in preparation for the release of his debut.
The album begins with Crazy, an atmospheric and dark track. I loved the build up throughout and thought the syncopated guitar was great. Catch used Stafford’s higher range and empoloyed a more R&B style of rhythm. The next track, Fame, had a sexier feel to the previous songs. The chorus especially was memorable as it employed a guitar riff with the word ‘fame’ dispersed between phrases. I liked the used of triplet/duplet polyrhythms in the chorus of Know My Name. Keep It Grooving used a descending scale in the verses which was a… well… groovy move.
In Hey You it became apparent his comfort zone was singing rock. He absolutely smashed it in the best way possible. World of Wonder had a different feel to the other tracks. The time signature for Pretty Girl was interesting in a sense that unexpected beats were emphasised. I was a little underwhelmed by I Don’t Mind after the energetic tracks that had come before it, but it still held its own fairly well. Get Up used a catchy melody of ‘ohs’ in the chorus and combined with a driving beat in the verses. It felt like the perfect way to end the album.
I really enjoyed Stafford’s sound and catchy melodies on this album. I couldn’t find anything specific to critique about it and liked the diversity in feel and vibe throughout the album. I give it 9.5/10.
To listen to his music go to his Soundcloud
To find out more on TJ check out his Website, Facebook Page, Twitter and Instagram
