Written by Lauren Rosier
The indie-folk singer/songwriter, Wise John, shares the release of his debut full-length album, “A Wonderful World,” which was released June 13, 2021.
Wise John shares:
“I wrote most of A Wonderful World while I was living in Orange County, CA, during the summer of 2020. In addition to the gloomy state of the mid-pandemic world, I’d been facing my own personal apocalypse–I’d become bedridden for months with a flare-up of chronic illness at the end of 2019, knocked out my front teeth, been dumped by my partner, and moved home with my parents in general disrepair. My life’s plans had fallen through, and I was facing a total lack of direction and purpose. Stoked!
This album is my sometimes-fiery, sometimes-sweet response to the state of the world and my life at the time. Ultimately, the album’s core is this question: How does it feel to see the end-times coming, while everyone around you ignores it?”
The album begins with the solemn track, “Won’t Somebody Let This Caged Bird Fly?” a song about letting someone go and giving them freedom. The track features beautiful jazz piano solos from Wise John, a longtime jazz pianist. His gentle voice glides over the notes so smoothly and allows the story to take front and center.
The writing on the album, “A Wonderful World,” is very autobiographical and pulled from “real personal trials.”
The next track on the album, “Leaving LA,” highlights his songwriting abilities and storytelling talent. He sings about his experience in Los Angeles and all the flashiness, the traffic in LA, the celebrities, his school, etc. I love how he explains his situation in this song and his experience in L.A., then how thrilled he is to be “leaving LA.”
The song, “Pretending To Sleep,” is probably one of my favorite songs on the album. John delivers this infectious, piano-based melody about a woman he’s beginning to become fond of and fall in love with. He says, “I would like to say that I’m falling in love. I do know for sure that I want you. Our story seems destined for the silver screen. Girl, I wonder ’bout what’s in your dreams…” The track features some incredible, rockin’ electric guitar solos that really bring out the character of the song.
Wise John was born and raised in Southern California, as a passionate lyricist and prolific songwriter since childhood. John’s music and storytelling “draw upon his love of fantasy, politics, and engineering, as well as his own stranger-than-fiction life.”
He’s been through a lot and he’s done a lot – from building and launching a rocket, nearly dying in cities from Auckland to Hong Kong to New York City, and having been bedridden for years due to chronic illnesses.
Currently, John is living in Brooklyn, writing songs. “A Wonderful World” is his debut album.
Connect with Wise John
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