Fourteen feel-good songs make up Australian artist James Keith‘s new album, I Call It Magic When I’m With You. This collection offers us a glass-half-full perspective on love and how everyday experiences make it something worth fighting for.

Keith describes the joys of finding love and his eagerness to hold onto it. Love is seen as something that lives both in the beauty of everyday experiences as well as the doubts that sometimes creep in.

Musically, I Call It Magic When I’m With You displays a brilliant fusion of country-pop and country-rock. The album is heavy on that country twang and Keith’s husky vocals add to the flavour.

Album opener “Life Is Good Today” can be described as a blissful celebration of life. The song and its bouncy guitars set the mood for the whole collection.

I love how the singer’s reverent lyrics characterize the song “She’s Worth The Wait”. Equally joyous and invigorating is the track “Alive”, which hits you from the first note, thanks to its big melodies and layered instrumentation.

It is interesting that a stirring, earnest anthem like “Cruel Game” gets followed by the euphoric “Don’t Wanna Stop”. Still, I’d say the song “Sixteen Thousand” provides the most beautiful moment in the album, with James being joined by his girlfriend for a duet.

It’s so befitting that the album closes with “Happy Birthday”. This song has a recognizable melody, which sums up the album’s overall singalong feel.

I Call It Magic When I’m Wit You doesn’t rely on layers of meaning to deliver its message. Rather, Keith leans into simplicity, creating an album that will resonate with many.

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