Eric Justvig – Midnight in Mid-America (Album Review)

Sometimes, music needs no frills. This statement could be interpreted as a dig into more sophisticated and multi-layered music, but I simply mean it in terms of artistic intent. I’m on the fringe side, but sometimes artists that take the route of familiar and emotionally-punched music can make waves with their music as well. Today’s artist that this review revolves around exemplifies this technique pretty well, in my humble opinion.

Meet Eric Justvig, a longtime New York-based musician who has entered a new territory by releasing his first full-length album, after building a cult following over two decades’ worth of live performance. His debut album is titled ‘Midnight in Mid-America’, with the album roll-out on Spotify.

Midnight in Mid-America is chock full of motifs, musically and lyrically, that thematically encapsulates the idea of Americana and the American notion of aesthetic, musicality and experience. It is a decently paced album with very well-mastered music. In terms of production value, it does not lack any competent points at all. Every instrument is mastered with respect to the timbre and the position of the instrument relative to the composition.

The compositions in this album oscillate between the usage of gospel, rock ‘n’ roll’, pop/rock and rock chords to build a familiar atmosphere to the tone of these songs. They bear extremely familiar syncopations as well as back-up vocals. There is no track on this album that sounds ‘out-of-place’. If you’re looking for an album that gives you the general notion of Americana specifically from the time period of 2000 to 2010, this is the album for you. The tracks are family-friendly, and not too offensive or polarizing to where it sounds ‘off’ or require too much justification.

Throughout the album, I can also hear tinges of blues, accompanied with a brilliant eye (or shall I say, ear) for layering and positioning. This helps to strengthen the initial motif of the album, injecting an essence of individualism amongst a sea of tracks that are a little too thematically coherent.

There is also a flair to some of the tracks in the album when it employs the technique of a power ballad within its composition. The vocalist’s otherwise tender and heartfelt croon is juxtaposed with the cries of strength, perseverance as well as battle within the notes emanating from him. It definitely also works to give the album an extra emotional edge, even though it does not lack it at all. The presence of this note throughout the album is what one would call the ‘icing on the cake’- a little extra ‘oomph’ to consolidate the emotional tone of the album while not steering too far off of the initial goal of the album but also enough to draw people’s heartstrings in.

Lastly, no Americana album would be complete without the silver lining of folk- the heart and essence of what keeps the identity gelled together. I’d say, from a subjective perspective, this album does lack musical excitability and variation. The motif that accentuates its allure is simply fraying away at the seams. However, if aimed at a general audience of mid-age Americans and marketed to individuals foreign and near alike who gleefully engage in this aesthetic, I think this album would perform quite well. It is technically proficient when it comes to all the hallmarks of well-mastered music.

Warmth, struggle, familiarity, and persistence, all at once.

Score/Good: ‘Midnight in Mid-America’ is an album that is pretty straightforward with its intent through its title. It is an album filled to the brim with multiple motifs akin to the tapestry of genres that gel the Americana experience. It can get a little too predictable, but if you’re looking for passion and not eccentricity, this is definitely the album for you. Also a wonderful album from a technical mastering perspective.

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