"Songwriters Are Cowards"

2006 Blue Bleep Records
Score: 8 (of 10) 

Of course every musician would say that they suffered and sacrificed for their craft, but how often is that true?  After narrowly missing the doomed United Flight 93 from New York to San Francisco on 9/11 Brian Kingston decided to give up his job as an up-and-coming investment banker at a high profile Wall Street firm and focus solely on his music.  Songwriters Are Cowards is his first release. 

The music on the album is well-played, melodic pop rock.  Songs include both guitar and piano driven numbers, and range from down-tempo ballads like “Reaper’s Waltz” to up-tempo pop rockers like “Songwriters Are Cowards.”  “Sons and Lovers,” which has appeared on MTV, is a standout track.  Kingston is backed up quite ably by the rhythm section of Stewart Myers and Brian Jones (Jason Mraz, Liz Phair), guitarist/producer/vocalist Doug Derryberry  (John Mayer, Ben Folds Five) and producer/writer Chris Keup (Jason Mraz.) 

Kingston, who delivers his vocals with a catchy, soulful flair, has a quite good voice, a bit on the falsetto side.  Lyrically most of the songs on the album are pretty catchy and tell some interesting stories, such as “Sons And Lovers,” which tells the story of a woman who only wants friendship and features great lines like, “If all you wanted girl was brotherly love, move down to Philly.”