Cubbage - Cubbage

Cubbage

Cubbage
self-released; 2016

3.5 out of 5

By Ted Rogen

It’s never a bad idea for a musician to learn about recording. You end up saving a lot of money by not having to go to a professional studio and your recording will be closer to whatever sound you have in your head. This is the case with Anthony Cubbage aka Cubbage. On his Bandcamp he mentions that his recent release A Passing Storm is lo-fi but I can’t say I agree. The quality of his recordings on this album rival plenty of professional recording studios.

His music is founded in pop but does flirt with other categories such as jazz and folk to name a few. I leaned towards the jazz he implements on songs like “Spare” but that really comes down to taste.

After a brief intro “Rain” which does in fact sound like rain he gets going with “Flood.” “Flood” is a standard pop that you could imagine playing on the radio. It’s bright with catchy vocal melodies and doesn’t veer far way from Jack Johnson and the carbon copy clones who came after. It wasn’t a personal favorite but arguably the most single worthy of the batch.

He follows up with “Sweet Dreams” which despite the lyrics about heartbreak feels triumphant and hopeful. It’s another song that has “single” plastered all over it. It’s easy to enjoy and soft sounding in myriad of ways.

“Spare “ was a highlight. I loved the smooth jazz D'Angelo type vibe he opens with. The song takes some unexpected turns by bringing in angelic vocal harmonies before without warning breaking down into a sweet jazz piano section. It’s a versatile, dynamic song.

“Long Gone” is another highlight that sounds closer to Bon Iver than to Jack Johnson while “Breathe Life Into Me” has some fantastic percussive elements that make the song. He closes with an easy listening piano ballad called “Realize.”

A Passing Storm is a consistently solid album with some notable peaks. I think his sound is appealing to a large demographic. Recommended.

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