Written as more of an accompaniment album or soundtrack to the graphic novel of the same name, The Ghost of Ohio is Andy Black’s sophomore foray into a solo project and he’s doing it big with a very ambitious project. This eponymous album could easily be turned into a musical as it fits so nicely into the framework of the “rock opera” genre of yesteryear. There are few these days who choose to create such an album as it is such an undertaking, especially on their second outing as a solo artist. That being said, this electro-rock album serves up catchy pop melodies and danceable beats as well as a powder-keg of lyrics which contrast the pop-esque tonality of the music with a sharp and dark edge.
To be blunt, at first listen (without checking out the graphic novel), I thought to myself, “This might just be a Christian rock album, but it’s awesome music regardless”. I mean, track 1, "Introduction Resurrection's" first hook says “This is my resurrection, my soul redemption”, along with references to hell and demons, though I am sure these are western mythologies used as metaphors. Either in this work or any other, it still sounds quite Christian to me. At first glance I did think that, and I figured it would be quite a leap from being accused of attempting to turn the daughters of wholesome, red-blooded American family’s daughters into plasma sucking vampires.
Black’s lyrics have a unique depth which could lend itself well to many a telling of the hero's journey (thank you Joseph Campbell); and obviously fits into the graphic novel accompanied. The first upbeat song on the album is “Westwood Road”, which is not particularly positive in its lyrical content per-se, but has such a funky baseline that you can’t help but to feel a bit dancy. The following track, “Know One”, seems to have huge influence from the late 80’s, early 90’s electro-romantic melodies, combined with a snappy retro drum machine. Overall, the album flows nicely and takes listeners on an effortless journey that challenges the mind and inspires the soul.
When it comes to work which accompanies and made to compliment another piece of work, both completely taken on simultaneously by one individual, usually makes for a daunting task. Most modern-day talents would only have cold sweat induced night terrors thinking about this. However, more and more true artists are becoming multifaceted with their brand and artistic form, which often leads to interesting projects like this. Despite the arduous tasks of writing music for a full album and doing the writing and illustrations on a graphic novel by your lonesome, the project is likely to snuff you out. Luckily, Andy has friends who are as devoted to their work as he is.
Eryk Donovan, an extremely diverse and enigmatic digital and pencil artist who is probably best known for his work on HellBlazer (otherwise known as Constantine) was a perfect fit to come onto the project and work with Andy on the Comic design and imagery. They started with some drafts Andy had been sketching, along with a basic outline of the story. After their meet, The Ghost of Ohio now had a face to put to the story outline. After the initial art was composed, they called in a pro to pen the story. Andy had jotted parts of the story for the novel down on random lines paper, napkins and whatever else he had on-hand whenever inspiration struck. In order to condense these ideas into a more cohesive mythology, he called in yet another pro. Scott Tuft of Image Comics rose to the challenge of transforming these random, loose papers into a tight, well-formed story-line.
Overall, this release is dark, heartfelt and poignant in unexpected ways. And to develop it alongside a comic is awesome. I hope this kind of ambition strikes other artists in a similar fashion. Even if you aren’t a Ghost… from Ohio, you will be able to listen to the music half of this release as a standalone and feel a connection to it. With themes of the undead and resurrection all with a twist of melancholia, how could you not take a bite? I mean, that sounds like my Tuesday nights.
As always, rock on my friends! Hunnypot Approved! Overall Rating: 8.6 out of 10
Artist: Andy Black, Album: The Ghost of Ohio, Release Date: April 12th, 2019, Label: Republic Records