With Burn Up and Shine, their third release, Gladshot isn’t exactly the new kid on the block. That said, I can’t exactly say I was in the know about who they were or what kind of music they produced, but, as an ever curious musical aficionado I couldn’t wait to find out. In the end I found a seamless combination of jazz, blues, and country woven into a pop framework. Something that is the direct result of leads Debbie Andrews and Mike Blaxill’s drastically differing musical backgrounds. Andrews, who took a more traditional route, got her start on Broadway singing in the musical Hair while her partner in crime got his musical chops through performances in Nashville and New York. No matter their path each artist brings some top notch lyrics and an uncanny understanding of addictive music to the sorely lacking pop scene.

Musically, Burn Up and Shine is a rare breed. In recent years, pop music has eschewed lyrics for instant gratification. Something that you can sing along with gets more radio play than something that is deep and meaningful. Long gone are the days where artists like the Beatles or the Eagles were able to combine the two. Gladshot, however, crafts songs rife with musicality and addictive choruses while embracing the art of songwriting.

“I can’t tell” for example, juxtaposes overlapping vocal harmonies with lyrics like “no one left, no one came, nothing happened, something’s changed.” Lyrics that while simple evoke feelings of regret and remembrance. Ideas that are expanded upon on “Nobody’s Looking,” a blues inspired ballad that captures Andrews’ musical voice. It’s a song that I could easily picture being sung on Broadway. Rounding out the album is “Nineteen sixty one” the last track on the album and my personal favorite. It’s a song that leaves the listener with a feeling of hope as Andrews croons “you could still get lost if you wanted to”

Gladshot’s Burn Up and Shine is a breath of fresh air in a time when pop music is about sexual ambiguity or discreet promiscuity (looking at you Katy Perry). It captures real human emotions while maintaining the catchiness that has made pop so successful.

Nobody’s Looking

He Was Gone

All I Want is You