It’s funny, the coincidences life brings with it. Like when that absolutely random not-so-famous song you’re singing in your head starts blaring out of the radio in your car. Or when that special someone you haven’t spoken to in years pops in a hi just micro-seconds after you’ve remembered them.

Well, just that way, one of Gone’s tracks just so happens to be the perfect candidate for the soundtrack of the first book I’ve picked up in eons. The story of two childhood best friends who, thanks to one of the many the twists of fate that life brings, are forced to live apart, but fight against distance to keep the magic of their relationship alive. Married to other people, but so in love with each other: I wonder if you / Ever reminisce / And think of / What might have been. Imagine a soulful, almost-raw and intense sounding young lad humming and strumming to poetic lines like those and you’ve got Bill Madden!

The album quite conveniently fits into the Rock/Pop category that we all love so much, and being a sucker for good poetry, this artist’s definitely got my vote for the lyrics. Starting off nice and relaxed with Weight of his Words and Path of the Heart, Madden takes us listeners on a mini-musical-ride with shades of very contrasting emotions. Madden’s known to be quite the activist, supporting various human rights, animal rights and environmental causes – consciousness which definitely shines through the album.
His political messages are heard loud and clear without sounding overly-preachy all the same: tracks to watch out for are Dangerous Game, and Gone. Oh, and call it mere “coincidence” but Might Have Been was definitely the turning point of the album for me.

Moving on to Art of Being – Madden portrays a frame of mind we’re all familiar with – about the paradoxes that surround us and how we learn to accept them as part of how the world is meant to work. This irony / Is not lost on me/ I can’t explain/ God’s mystery. The album comes to a close with Everything and that, a smart choice by Madden in terms of composition.
His music style may not be unique; touches of Lenny Kravitz, the Beatles, Bob Dylan amongst other big names pop up here and there, but Madden must be given much credit for intelligently fusing a variety of distinct influences to give Gone a very refreshing feel.

Although I do admit you can trace an unwanted likeness in terms of music threading through each track on the album, Madden cannot be entirely dismissed – this chap’s really got it going for himself, and I’m sure there’s a whole lot more where that comes from.

So pop this one in on your way to school, work or whatever it is you do for an interesting blend of innovative music with poignant lyrics to match – I guarantee you’ll be hitting that “Repeat” button in no time.

You can listen to Gone from this album in our Music Player