Ottawa-native Joel Martin is back with his twelfth album entitled The Tipping Point. For someone who has spent the majority of his career experimenting with sound and innovative ways and techniques to strike his audience, it’s safe to say he has succeeded in showcasing his creativity and talent with this interesting collection of songs which best represent him as an artist.
The album starts off with the single entitled “Discount Sugar Daddy,” Martin’s favorite song off the album which immediately captivates the audience with the light-hearted and mellow sounds of an acoustic guitar, followed by soothing vocals. The unique collaboration of lyrics makes it a great choice as an introduction to the album. As the song progresses, you can hear the sounds of interestingly composed guitar riffs and power chords that give off a John Mayer vibe, one of Martin’s biggest inspirations for the sounds on this album.
“Discount Sugar Daddy” along with “My Boss” and “The Notebook Song” are a few examples in which Martin incorporates a comedic tone; putting a paradox on the conventional sappiness of acoustic songs which were inspired by his acoustic cover of “Baby Got Back” by Sir Mix-A-Lot on Canadian Idol in 2007. The melodies are incredibly catchy and, wherever you are, you’re guaranteed to be humming along to the cleverly composed expressions that were written over the course of three years and were later recorded in Metalworks Studios; Canada’s leading recording studio.
In the second song, “Words of Advice,” we hear Martin experimenting with backup vocals which give off a “poppy” feel, yet are able to maintain the traditional aspects of the acoustic sounds. The song ends on a single note; a popular technique used by many folk artists to extend the purpose and main focus of the song before it comes to a halt. Not to mention the content of the song is about sending a text message to the wrong person which, in this day and age, is something that everyone can understand.
The transition into the next song, “Here She Stands,” is one of the songs that stand out most. It’s a song perfect for listening to on a streetcar on one of those days where you’re pondering about life. The song contains female backup vocals on the chorus which allow for the song to showcase a little bit more of Martin’s serious side as opposed to the comedy and irony incorporated into the other songs. This song also displays note picking on the acoustic guitar as opposed to the power chords in the beginning of the album which further display the varying techniques of the Canadian’s guitar playing which he uses as a method to convey different emotion.
The interesting thing about Martin’s collection of songs on this album is the fact that they are all, in some form or another, a representation of his life in Ottawa as he discovered aspects about himself and did a lot of soul searching, which is relatable to many due to the varying themes of love, work, life experiences and overall being someone who you’re growing into, all while using music as an outlet for different day-to-day experiences that you’re going through.
The album ends off with “Tucker,” which is probably my personal favorite off the album due to its City and Colour-like guitar sounds and riffs which begin the song. The song definitely gives off a Dallas Green vibe with a little bit of sappy sounds in the verse until it transitions into the chorus which has a slightly more upbeat melody. Throughout the song, the acoustic riffs are both invigorating and are definitely what stands out the most about the entire song.
The Tipping Point is a multi-dimensional album that contains an array of sounds, genres and experimentation which make it the perfect album for any occasion.
