It is in a debut EP that’s all very intimate and personal, Heat Ghosts, that James Bannon is revealing his world, acoustic guitar in hand. Review.
HEAT GHOSTS – JAMES BANNON
The melancholy rising from the very first track, Kitchens Everywhere, has something close to a memory.
Far from complaining or indulging in a difficult relationship’s ending, the track brings a touch of hope from its notes and lyrics alike. Quick, we realize that Bannon is that friend we can count on, who soothes pains because he knows it too.
With the voice full of his feelings, sometimes shaky but always on pitch, he brings his writings with a sincere heart. His experiences may be painful, they also are tender, delicate, passionate, and full of life. And those he sees around him are the same, as we can hear on Dinner Party – a bright and finished love story between two young women. On Footnote, Bannon focuses on the regret of not having talked about one’s feelings earlier. Once more, in his composition, Bannon catches some warmth that beautifully balances out the saddened aspects of the track. Even sober, and with a more serious tone, Morning Canvas must be the most intimate track Bannon wrote. The additional vocals, and the echoes they bring, enhance each emotion he wrapped in his notes.
This EP concludes with Now You Know and Autumn, two tracks that have a grip, between the nostalgia of happy childhood memories, and a tragic loss. This is not just a guitar-vocal combo, the folk compositions are well-rounded. If everything Bannon offers here comes from his heart, Heat Ghosts has the ability to speak to all. It’s universal. And it becomes difficult to not be moved by this debut.
