On his first full-length release, Stuck, singer, songwriter, guitarist, producer, and Rhode Island native J. Michael Graham showcases some stellar songwriting that explores the evolution of interpersonal relationships and finding the inner strength to move forward. With six songs and a run time of 20 minutes, the project is shorter than most full-length releases but is in no way lacking any sort of depth. The album starts off with two strong openers: in “Live and Learn,” and “Roll Back to You,” Graham goes deep, lyrically, on themes of leaving the past behind, dealing with the pain of having to let go, and finally moving forward in life. We then see Graham start looking inward on tracks like “Spanish Market,” and “Stuck in a House,” where he expresses his feelings of uncertainty in the future as well as the difficulty of feeling trapped within one’s own mind. While Graham stays true to the album title throughout the majority of the project, we do finally get some resolution on the track closer, “Change for the Better.” Acceptance of the unknown, and going willingly into that unknown, is the primary theme of this one and acts as a valuable life lesson; this sort of acceptance is Graham’s lesson to the listener as the best way to get unstuck in one’s life. The songwriting is where this record shines the brightest, but the solid performances from both Graham and his fellow musicians serve to create an ideal rock/folk sound that’s reminiscent of artists such as Neil Young and Lou Reed. The project is a great debut effort and should have listeners excited for new music to come in the future. •
