Johnny Cee - Shine

​Johnny Cee

Shine
self-released; 2016

3.7 out of 5

By Jamie Funk

This album is the exciting first solo record for musician Johnny Cee, and the concoction of versatile sounds in Shine are a great reflection of this artist's talents. The album is a collection of songs written and recorded by Johnny Cee that deal with emotions related to relationships, addiction and modern-day society. This musician and his team did an excellent job incorporating a variety of sounds; each song has a unique influence and makes for a great listen. 

The album starts out with “Can Someone Tell Me” and it has a heavy, grungy guitar riff that introduces us to Shine. There is a solid, sharp and emotional transition as soon as the first lyrics come in. There’s a complex, industrial, and spacey composition to the song with lots of different guitar riffs and electronic sounds laid out throughout.

When the next song comes in, there is a nice, well-timed transition already with a more melodic sound in “Shine.” This song is more lyric-heavy and has a nice hook that repeats throughout the song. The guitar sound is much less electric, and more melodic and rhythmic. There is a nice, spacey composition to this song that moves listeners into a smooth bridge at the end of the song. 

“Mirror the Monster” has a similar sound and vibe as the song before. It has more of a rock feel, that eventually moves into an organ-laden bridge with spacey vocals and a slow guitar complementing them. That high-pace sound changes, though, with the next song “ABSOLUTION.” This is the introduction to a calmer sound, where the vocals are more clear and a bigger focus. The singer’s voice is complemented with acoustic and clean electric guitars with a calm, rhythmic drum sound in the background. It’s emotional, and the lyrics explain more of the protagonist’s story. 

There is a big variety of sounds and production styles in Shine. From the more acoustic, rock songs the album moves into much more electric and primordial sounds. The song “I” transitions the album into a slow, trippy rhythm that has way more electronic beats in it. The entire track is a slow crescendo that slowly builds up and picks up as more sounds and instruments join in. The off-beat drums and the cool sounds make this an awesome ballad that creates an emotional change and gives the album a new sound. 

​The rest of the album has tracks that are more vocal heavy. There is an excellent set of piano ballads where Johnny Cee shows the versatility of his voice and talents. “My World” is a more minimalistic song with soft and few instruments complementing the singer's voice. The album eventually wraps up with an acoustic ballad that completes this artist and production team’s great project. There is an abundance of sounds and genres that show a versatility that’s fun to listen to and make Shine an easy listen.

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