Award-winning Murfreesboro producer and singer-songwriter Christopher Griffiths has made his second solo album, an easy, six-song folk-country-rock EP titled Lime Lake Rd., released in honor of his late father. Lime Lake Rd. stands as the follow up to Griffiths’ drastically divergent 2020 dance-pop debut Midlife Pop Crisis, but what Griffiths is doing with Lime Lake Rd. is even greater than how freakin’ awesome Midlife Pop Crisis is.
No matter the motivation, both of Griffiths’ EPs have been solely created in his room, working with his own limited instruments, recording equipment, laptop mixer, and, for Lime Lake Rd., more than enough quarantine think-time and DIY production know-how to get this endearing country sentiment where it needs to be.
Lime Lake Rd., as a whole, is an autobiographical folk-country journal of a grown son’s life thus far (if not, it’s a brilliant concept album on that topic), and doesn’t waste time getting into the good mushiness from the start.
“Day Dreamer” makes an easy-listening country lullaby that angelically fugues the piano and strum-plucked mandolin, an electric guitar and bass, then the slide, building up as Griffiths rejoicingly sings to his own kid in parental amazement of their time together.
The single from the album, “Best Part of You,” brings an upbeat toe tapper that opens up to the country-pop-strummed acoustic, organ and tambourine rhythm shortly before becoming a bedroom wall of sound, adding electric guitar and bass with a harmonica kicker. Lyrically, it’s a lovely girlfriend-appreciation pop-rocker very much in Tom Petty fashion. There’s a lengthy tambourine-and-harmonica-heavy solo and bridge to cross starting halfway through, which is as outstanding as finding out the artist does his own backing vocals rightly at the song’s outro.
“Take on You” contends for the album’s best as the organ-hum intro returns with friends—the bass drum and campfire-side acoustic guitar rhythm—as a star-twinkle synth and a clap-along track accents the track, which is as rowdy as Lime Lake Rd. gets. It’s a couple’s campfire song, lyricizing the altruism of taking on your person’s burdens out of love.
Ultimately, the album’s namesake comes from the Cedars, Michigan, road on which Griffith’s father lived. I’m assuming country was Mr. Griffiths’ genre of choice, as the track titled “Lime Lake Road” presents an easy, comfortable country strum. A peacefully timed piano and acoustic guitar strum rhythmically with an electric guitar melody picking to accent this overall warm, musical remembrance of a rain falling on the roof of his Dad’s place in the song’s background. It’s Mr. Griffiths’ song from an autobiographical album Chris made in his memory, letting the father know the son is doing all right in life. Solid.
Christopher Griffiths’ Lime Lake Rd. can be found at major digital outlets such as Spotify, Apple Music and SoundCloud. Check out a video single for “Best Part of You” on Youtube.
For more information, contact details and merchandise, visit christophergriffithsmusic.com.
(This review was written around Father’s Day 2021, so, a hearty Happy Father’s Day to both Mr. Griffiths, as well to as my own father, who blames yard work for quitting after the fourth hole, and this dude Bracken, who acts like he’s got kids to raise, and all of the other fathers out there.)
