English Singer-Songwriter RockCounsellor’s Debut Album Is a Must-Listen Due to This

It is the middle of one’s life where one starts to reflect on their past and ponder on their future. It mostly happens when one turns 40, but it can happen much earlier or later depending on the person. One artist, English classic rock singer-songwriter RockCounsellor, has recently released his therapeutic debut album that reflects on the journeys

made in our lives. But, he crafted this album in an interesting way that is really worthy of listening to. What is this? Keep on reading to find out!

Make sure to check out RockCounsellor’s debut album down below!

Lyrics That Reflect on Our Past

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Much of the singer-songwriter’s album MusicTherapy details the reflection of the artist’s life. For example, in the track “Middle Age Man”, the character reminisces on his past as he talks about the things that make him a middle-aged man: he needs a nap, needs a plan now, having tests and scans, and how his age creates various feelings like anxiety. Other tracks like “You Can Wait”, “Eggshells”, “If You Could Be Wrong”, and “Family Men” are sprinkled with life advice or warnings that he has heard at certain points in his life.

The reason why RockCounsellor wrote the song’s lyrics on this theme of reflection is based on his own life experience. He explained the connection recently:

The recording sessions that culminated in the MusicTherapy album were, as the title suggests, intended to be therapeutic. Burton was diagnosed with bladder cancer and resolved to record an album over the duration of the treatment programme to support him
emotionally and distract him from the prospect of the discomfort and indignity of the medical procedures.

RockCounsellor

How the singer-songwriter integrates his life experiences into each song’s lyrics is well done. He writes in a way that is simple to understand. But, most importantly, the lyrics feature topics that people can relate to. Vulnerability, cancer, drinking, greed, ageing, loss, and righteousness are things that we have had come into contact with within our lives: whether physically or mentally. With these topics on hand, RockCounsellor uses them in a brilliant approach that makes the lyrics relatable and simple to understand.

Sometimes the Way Backwards Is the Way Forward

His diagnosis also inspired a period of self-reflection and the desire to make the album a celebration of the classic rock and pop of the 70s and 80s that had made him the songwriter and musician he had become.

RockCounsellor

Besides the retrospective lyrics, what else makes MusicTherapy such a brilliant album is the throwback to 70s and 80s rock and pop. You can hear some sort of nod to a certain musical style found in the 70s and 80s in each song. For example, the first track, entitled “The Privilege”, features the power rock vibes from such 80s bands like Van Halen.

Other tracks like “You Can Wait” features a hard rock edge, “Keep Walking Tall” features a synthpop-rock vibe, “Ferrari-Driving Investor” has a bit of punk sprinkled, and there is a hint of modern alt-rock in “Eggshells” and “Pinot Grigio”. And don’t forget about “Wagon” and “When the Sun is Shining”, tracks feature a mixture of different strands of rock from the 70s and 80s.

Whatever the genre it is, each track featured in MusicTherapy has a different perspective of the genres of pop and rock from the 70s and 80s. These melodies bring nostalgia to the listeners, but it is also refreshing to listen to as the RockCounsellor uses these nostalgic genres in a new way.

Final Thoughts

MusicTherapy by RockCounsellor is a brilliant album that contains a mixture of lyrics and melodies that are relatable to any listener of any age. The lyrics are written in a way that is simple to understand yet relatable with themes like vulnerability, greed, aging, and loss present in a well-written approach in each track. Also, the nostalgic throwbacks to the 70s and 80s rock/pop present in the album are presented in a refreshing way where the singer-songwriter presents something old in a new way. Overall, MusicTherapy is a must-listen not only for the nostalgic throwbacks but also for its therapeutic merit within its melodies and lyrics. Check it out below!

Make sure to listen to RockCounsellor’s “MusicTherapy” down below and let me know what you think in the comments below.

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About the Artist: RockCounsellor

RockCounsellor is the alias of Camden based songwriter, musician, and addiction therapist, Thoby Burton. Burton’s musical history includes some success in the early to mid-90s when he fronted 67, that signed to Southern Distribution’s first in-house record label Southern Records, where they were label mates with Therapy?, Silverfish, and Babes in Toyland. 67 released 3 singles for Southern to critical acclaim in the broadsheet and magazine music press, but sadly never got to release the album they had recorded for the label.

In the late 90s, Burton made music under the pseudonym, Pocket Rocket, which later evolved into a live band playing widely on London’s pub circuit. In the early 2000s, Burton turned his hand to music promotion supporting older musicians online and as a live music promoter, with his enterprise ROCK-TIL-YOU-DROP (RTYD), which caught the attention of the mainstream press at the time. When Facebook became the place where older musicians could easily get support from their fans and connect with their musical peers, RTYD lost its niche and petered out.

Around this time Burton drew a line under Pocket Rocket and turned his hand to learning to play the piano to a standard that allowed him to broaden his songwriting skills. In the mid-2010s, after 20 years of helping people struggling with drug addiction, Burton qualified as a psychotherapist, and this new credential inspired his current music-making alias.

As a songwriter and as a therapist, Burton is interested in people and relationships. Many of MusicTherapy’s songs reflect this by using relationships to present their topics of vulnerability, cancer, drinking, greed, aging, loss, and righteousness.

Make sure to check out RockCounsellor at the following sites:

Instagram | Facebook | Twitter | Spotify | Youtube | Soundcloud | Bandcamp

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