Justin Curran “Strange Kind of Blue”

“It draws on the lightness of a hazy, frosty, spring morning. It’s been 25 years in the making – I first started writing it in my folks’ house overlooking the city of Belfast in my 'room with a view'.” — Justin Curran

Jangling guitar and silvery percussive texture make a sultry country blues. Hearing Justin Curran’s splash of harmonica on top of echoing organs, while his hollers come from the bottom of his heart complete a hazy blue vision. The photographer turned musician, Justin Curran has an intriguing way to transform visual ideas into musical proses.

The Northern Irish singer-songwriter/multi-instrumentalist takes the liberty to craft his “Strange Kind of Blues” from scratch, out of his home studio in Belfast. Taking inspiration from artists such as Paul Weller, The Style Council and The Jam, and various Britpop bands throughout the 90s and early 2000s in Ireland and the UK, Curran’s music shares a refreshing outlook of a sentimental retro style, infusing it with his unique take on blues, country, and rock n roll.

It’s exciting to hear a folk revival style harmonica and Dylan-esque lyricism in such confrontational and intense manner with all other instruments competitively ringing while forming a collectively vibrant symphony. There’s so much life in Curran’s performance and so much contrast in his vocal delivery.

You simply can’t find another artist with the same level of authenticity and keenness to express his visual vision the way Justin Curran does. As the same strength and vibration are shared across all his musical projects, it definitely makes a well-deserved adventure to dive further into the musician’s catalogues.