Kevin Gullickson first came to our attention with his album This is Our Time in 2012, it coming out under the name of Radio Drive which the musician retained after his previous band disbanded. The release was a captivating embrace of melodic rock and indie pop brought with an eclectic and inventive imagination. The fourth album from the Minneapolis singer songwriter, it easily bred a healthy appetite for his style of musical intrigue and emotive prowess and now the artist returns to feed it further with new single A Taste Of Heaven. It is a song which simply confirms all the impressed thoughts and assumptions of greater things to come sparked by his previous release.
With the previously mentioned band coming to an end in 2009, Gullickson continued to write stirring pop encounters, unveiling them across a trio of albums, Dream The Impossible (2009), Life Today (2010), and I Can See The World From Here (2011) before he entered our radar with This is Our Time. Impressed media attention and radio plays have also come with the release of his records, tracks being featured on online, college and indie shows and stations across the US, Canada, and Europe.
Whilst A Taste of Heaven seduces ears it is easy to expect similar reactions to follow its emergence. The creation of the song is almost as magnetic as its lyrical inspiration, the narrative bred from when the artist met his love in New York City on a cold November day. Gullickson says about the song, “I wanted to capture the essence of this time in my life and hope others can relate to a similar time in their life and catch that taste of heaven.” Recording a demo version, he sent the track over to producer Chris Garcia (Celine Dion, Demi Lovato, Christina Aguilera, Britney Spears) to arrange and record the song, as well as adding additional synth parts and playing the bass guitar on the song. Guitarist Nick Lashley who has played with artists such as Alanis Morissette, Avril Lavigne, and David Archuleta, was also brought in as well as L.A. session drummer Ben Rose. Once Gullickson had added his vocals and the final mix was completed by Tom Polce (Bob Dylan) with mastering completed by Grammy award winner Gene Paul, the single was ready to persuade the world and it seems has been instantly taken to.
As A Taste of Heaven embraces it is not a surprise that it has raised a strong appetite already, the song swiftly emerging persuasively from an emotive ambience with tender and inviting guitar designs and the impressive melodic tones of Gullickson. In no time a personal depth is felt, not only lyrically and vocally but musically too, whilst the smiling melodies and rhythmic beckoning embrace ears and imagination with a warm magnetic hug. The keys and bass add further drama and texture to the scenery of the song, skirting the words that dance across the guitar coloured canvas of the song, their reflective warmth an infectious evocation.
The single is pop rock at its finest, an encounter which lingers and seduces with poise and elegant craft reinforcing the emerging and increasingly potent presence of Radio Drive and Kevin Gullickson. A song to voice your summer and love affairs, A Taste of Heaven is the perfect entrance into an easily accessible and skilled songwriter.
8.5/10
RingMaster 20/03/2014
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