“Love Is For Everyone” is the second album from Newcastle’s own Andrew Cushin and the follow-up to “Waiting For The Rain” – the debut album that was incredibly popular.
First up is the title song – “Love Is For Everyone”.
Starting off with a soft drumbeat, it slowly pangs in before a powerful backing track kicks in and already I could tell this was going to be an anthemic track – Andrew’s vocals pierce through it beautifully and the lyrics are personal, raw and supportive – and would resonate with a lot of people.
Andrew is already known for his honest lyrics and theming of his tracks, and this is certainly highlighted on his first album, but also this first track, the perfect beginning to the album and it sets up for a pleasant listening experience.
“New World Blazing” is up next and this was one of the singles released, it’s more intense with the beginning – amping up the rock – but still has that personal element with his lyrics that cuts through the heavy exterior of the song – it does well to slow down in parts too – it hooks you in even more – especially the guitar solo’s and riffs – I found myself nodding my head along and absorbing all of it’s elements – no doubt a song that will do well live I think too.
After a couple of listens I was picking up the lyrics and singing-along – which for a second listen is impressive – Andrew’s voice suits this style really well – it’s high energy whilst still introducing a lot of different elements and tones – and it’s really well produced.
“Catch The Sun” follows on and it continues that familiar theme of the first two tracks, upbeat, fun backing track to begin with, this track does feel a little more experimental, but that’s not a bad thing – it dips in and out of slower pangs – but this is where Andrew’s voice really stands out and shows off his powerful vocals.
It’s got soul, an infectious drumbeat and the lyrics again are really meaningful and personal – something I think we can all agree Andrew excels in – putting his emotions and experiences into music.
“Alright” is next and was the second single released off the album, one of the shorter tracks, but honestly, one of my favourites.
It’s infectious from the get-go and yet again, lyrics that resonated, they certainly did with me and that’s a huge selling point, if you can connect to a lot of people, talking about not really feeling yourself, the aids you may need to help you be the best version you can be – that will be sounded out with a lot of people and it’s done in a brilliant way.
It’s fast-paced, easy to pick up and really catchy – this will no doubt do well on tour.
“Something Ain’t Quite Right” is up next – this is much more indie-rock, at first, and honestly, the beginning reminded me of guitar riffs that Noel Gallagher would be proud of.
What surprised me was the sudden drop and more sombre bridge that followed, I wasn’t expecting it but it absolutely worked – it then slowly builds, and reminds me of some of Andrew’s earlier work from his first album – like “4.5%” and “You Don’t Belong” – it has the same pang, a little bit of sadness but ultimately channelled through song.
The sudden stop towards the end of the song hits you before an actual ending – this is an excellent track.
“She” follows on and this is the midpoint of the album.
Once again this is more of a rockier beginning – I’d even go as far to say it reminded me of a modern-day Oasis opener – reminded me a bit of “My Big Mouth” with it’s powerful intro and heavy beginning – but with Andrew’s own twist, he owns it.
This does carry on through and whilst it’s fantastically produced, it does carry that same heaviness throughout the track, it took me a little bit longer to take to this one – his vocals are still powerful and cut through it all and at points this really shines through – but generally – this for me is a bit too heavy from a backing track point of view – still a great track all in all.
After that is “What Else You Got” – this is more of an acoustic feel and I was immediately hooked – it’s softer and the vocals really took centre-stage.
“Hey Love, there’s something that’s calling your name” – gave a fresh message and really spoke to me (life resonates ok? ) this is a real feel-good song of the album and this would be PERFECT on a television programme or film as part of a soundtrack – it has a lot to offer and is definitely one of my favourites on the album, happy lyrics, great guitar solos and powerful – plus easy to sing-a-long to!
Up next is “No More Shadows” and we’re back up to amping it to a bit rockier, the mood switches entirely again, but thar is absolutely not a criticism, it’s back to the melancholic lyrics and deep meanings, telling a story – which in my opinion is something that Andrew does best, you can hear passion in his voice and it clearly means alot – this song amplifies that to a new level and it would be amazing live – it could pierce through a live venue or travel well in a festival field.
“A Song For You” is next, and I was wowed, just when I think it can’t get better, Andrew delivers another banger! this is a little bit more folk and offers something a bit different – a slight pang of violin or fiddle maybe seeping through – it’s a real upbeat happy song that shows off Andrew’s songwriting skills to it’s best, it’s catchy, feel-good and really easy to pick up, this is EASY in my top 3 from the album – what a bloody fantastic track.
“Kiss the Sky” follows and initially dips back to a melancholic mood again – but this one feels like an anthem again, it’s very apparent that Andrew has a fantastic range of skills under his belt, and he does it well, singing and songwriting is hard enough, but he continually hits a different range of emotion, rawness and realness that I find to be rare these days – it’s a really good track – and whilst the backing track is almost chilling, it’s thought-provoking and powerful.
“Standing by my Side” is the penultimate track of the album, it’s again, a much softer, more acoustic feel to this track, it’s got a beautiful edge to it’s beginning and it’s a more obviously-emotional, the lyrics are passionate, speaking about a first love and the mood of the track moves with the lyrics – it does again give space for Andrew’s incredible voice to breathe and stab out from the backing track – the classical element really adds to it and shows off the raw side that Andrew has previously shown us – it’s refreshing and incredibly well crafted.
The final track on the album “I’m Coming Home” follows and what a track it is…
This was the perfect ending to the album – It showcases everything Andrew can do, powerful vocals, emotional lyrics, a band that pushes limits in the best way possible – it is a real anthem that would be incredible live – it seeps through differently and really plays and pushes with boundaries in the right way when it comes to music – a perfect ending.
All in all, a fantastic album, the production is slick, the backing tracks offer the elevation that’s needed, and Andrew’s vocals are incredible, plus all the behind-the-scenes content, music videos and more that’s come out over the past few months has really been nothing short of amazing – what a bloody good album and I can’t wait to hear it live.
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