John McVey
Unpredictable
Independent
4 out of 5 stars
It took 10 years for Boulder, Colo. songwriter John McVey to release his third CD, but the Princeton, N.J. native said in an accompanying press release that he likes taking time with his songs.
Back in his East Coast days, McVey won several accolades for his songwriting, but for the last several years he’s been working at Coupe Studios in Boulder on the other side of the studio glass, as a producer/engineer. That must have helped a lot, as Unpredictable sounds rich and polished — a professional package from start to finish, in everything from song structure to production.
In addition to going above and beyond on the album itself, McVey is also going above and beyond when it comes to the album’s proceeds. He is donating a portion of every album sale to Kids Food Basket, a charity that provides bag lunches to underfunded kids and schools. “I want this CD to be about something other than my own ego,” he said.
—Brian F. Johnson