Arizona based folk artist Wayne Merdinger just released his latest album “Hidden Gems” a collection of released and unreleased songs that he crafted…he brings his iconic sincere melodic and lyrical approach once again to his audiences…and he’s also venturing into uncharted parts of the musical map to reach more audiences…and I think he’s onto something…let’s check what kind of experience Wayne Merdinger’s “Hidden Gems” gives us…
Within the walls of “Hidden Gems” 13 songs, six were previously unreleased tracks (produced by Danny Saxon and Mark Jaimes), six previously released singles (produced by Mark DeCozio), and a special song, “Abbey Road”, remastered from the 2017 “Behold the Invisible Man” album (produced by Scott Leader).
…so the title hidden gems is something that really has some meaning and weight to it…
The album has a focus and direction…and it’s that of an indie folk one…however…that’s a bit of an understatement…because each song has many layers to it and many undertones and overtones to it…every song is like a meticulously crafted perfume, each one is unique and each one has its little nuances…or a very lovingly made dish with many elements and layers to it…
…above all, the album is also focusing on storytelling…it feels like it could be songs in a musical…easily…I think that Wayne also makes that a reality because of his unique vocal and emotional delivery…
We can find emotional diversity in this album and I think this is one of the strong suites of “Hidden Gems” as an album…
The album starts with the album title song…a very emotional start to the album…it’s got a lot going on, subtlety in some parts, other parts with string sections and huge sounding emotions…
…then you have something like “One More Memory”…it’s where I visualized I’m experiencing it live…this is going to be such an experience when played live…very anthemic, very emotional and very heartwarming.
…a song that I don’t want to spoil anything about is “Missing You”…it’s perfectly balanced with an excellent emotional developmental pace…it’s more like a movie than a song…it definitely transcends the everyday concept of a song.
I could really talk about each and every song and I won’t give it its due credit…
The amount of work that has been done in this album to make it come out like this is unthinkable…all songs are unique, all songs sound mesmerizing, it’s like each song takes you from a chapter to another in a huge novel-like experience…
You could also see it as if each song is a fully developed and fleshed out character in a story…each song is very distinctive and unique, no one song sounds or feels like another…
“Hidden Gems” is a life-long labor of love that spans many years…and all that shows in the final result that we enjoyed to the utmost.
This is a highly recommended album experience, not even for a specific genre lover, not at all…the fact is that if you like good songs, good music, you’ll fall in love with “Hidden Gems”.
I believe “Hidden Gems” shouldn’t be hidden anymore, everyone should experience it.
Wayne, you captured our souls, we enjoyed every twist and turn in “Hidden Gems”…thank you for the music…we can’t wait to see what you come up with next, looking forward to whatever you bring our way.
Wishing you all the best in your life, you deserve it.
Cheers!
