Press

DANCING ABOUT ARCHITECTURE
https://dancing-about-architecture.com/what-i-believe-chris-beland-reviewed-by-dave-franklin/

If you mixed the troubadour social commentary and questioning of a young Dylan, the melodicism and accessibility of the likes of David Gray and a unique ability to combine such familiarity with a beautiful freshness too, you would get somewhere close to understanding where Chris Beland comes from artistically. You’d have to throw in a few other factors, too, the ability to switch from introspective folky to foot-on-the-monitor rocker, as the mood takes him, not being the least of these.

What I Believe is an excellent collection of astute and quite remarkable tunes. At one end of the spectrum, you have the understated beauty of Feel Like Crying; at the other, the grunt and drive of the Petty-esque title track. And in between, you have a fantastic sonic array of mood and melody, groove and grace.

I Don’t Think It’s A Sign is an infectious slice of Americana, Colson Canyon revels in a cosmic, indie-alt-country vibe, and Conspiracy is a wonderfully gentle ribbing at the expense of those who follow more radical ideas.

This album seems to sit a notch above everything so far in a career that has seen Chris Beland constantly resetting personal benchmarks with every release. How does he manage to do that?

WORLD AMERICAN MAGAZINE
https://worldamericanmagazine.com/2022/09/28/what-i-believe-by-chris-beland/

Based out of Arroyo Grande, the gifted and transformational musician Chris Beland has released a sizzling rock album titled What I Believe. Often noted for his Dylan-influenced lyricism and open-book instrumentation, Beland doesn’t cease to amaze music lovers with his creative guise.

What I Believe is a 10-track journey that keeps us intrigued from start to finish. As the album opens with the song “Where Is Georgia”. This is a smooth hummer with an upbeat rhythm and light-hearted lyricism, which perfectly sets the tone for what is to follow. Diving deeper into the waters of What I Believe we find that Beland’s inventive spark contributes greatly to the album’s continuity, as evident from tracks like “World” and “Stare at the Walls”. What I Believe is what I believe to be a perfect example of a musician’s love affair with the thing that he loves the most.

INDIE BAND GURU
https://indiebandguru.com/chris-beland-what-i-believe/

Music can be a great outlet. We all experience life in different ways. Some great things happen along with some terrible circumstances from time to time. As an artist we can share both the good and the bad within our music. Our recent discovery Chris Beland has had an interesting life journey that he has found a way to share with his songwriting.

The word interesting is an understatement in describing the singer and songwriter’s life. To try and describe the path of Chris Beland briefly: became a father at 15, married, drug addiction, homelessness, remarrying, and finding his real father. And that is just the high/low-lights. All the while though Chris had music. Songwriting may have saved his sanity and helped him get his pains and successes out of his mind and into the musicsphere.

On September 16th, Chris Beland released his latest album What I Believe on Santa Barbara Records. The 10 track record aims to touch on the state of the world today. Opening with “Where Is Georgia” the fun energy smacks the listener right away. This will be an entertaining listen. There is meaning behind the song as well with Chris Beland tying in current events with the wild story of the election in Georgia with a Bruce Springsteen like veracity.

We get to dive into more of the artist’s mindset with “Feel Like Cryin’” and its slowed down tempo. This has a way of turning up the emotion of the track as we can all relate. “Tunnel” continues this vibe with atmosphere and interesting sounds creating the mood. A sudden female guest vocal grabs attention even more to the feelings here.

The big energy returns with “World.” A blazing rocker about unity delivered with Chris Beland’s unique vocal that calls to the listener to be a part of betterment for our society. “It felt like I had something to speak to this generation,” Beland says,“I want to bring people together instead of divide.”

The album closes with “Family Tree” which was actually the lead single. The bouncing track speaks to how polarized our country is at the moment, we’re all still the same. Chris Beland tackles it with purpose explaining that we are all connected no matter what side of the argument we are all on. A smooth humming chorus welcomes everyone to be part of not only this song but an overall better humanity.

CURIOUS FOR MUSIC
https://www.curiousformusic.com/post/chris-beland-presents-new-album-what-i-believe

Although Chris Beland calls his album “What I Believe,” it is not always an explicitly spiritual album. At least not as spiritually centered as are his past efforts. This is not to say it does not contain spiritual content. It’s probably impossible for Beland to write and play music that doesn’t draw upon his beliefs. Instead, it’s a collection of thoughtful, introspective songs.

The album’s longest song, “Tunnel,” is also its prettiest. Augmented by strings and piano, it carries with it a sophisticated, classical and classic pop-rock quality. Beland is a bit of a Zelig at times, too, because the very next song, “World,” sounds like British music hall music. It also has a “la la la” chorus that sounds straight out of a Blur Britpop hit. Beland is not a Brit, by the way. However, it’s likely impossible not to hear some of those across-the-pond sounds and filter them through one’s own persona. Lyrically, this track mentions Dr. Martin Luthor King’s name, which suggests how his admonition to “be the world again” might well involve racial reconciliation.

Stylistically, Beland’s music – although it rocks a bit now and again – leans toward the power-pop end of the sonic spectrum. One called “I Don’t Think It’s a Sign,” for instance, is built upon a driving electric guitar riff/groove, tinged with keyboard fills. Its overall feel brings to mind Jackson Browne during his rockier moments. Browne is, at heart, a folk singer who made his mark during the singer/songwriter movement in the ‘70s. He ended up being accepted by the AOR crowd during that decade, even though he never really rocked as hard as most the others on radio station playlists. Nevertheless, he could crank it up – just a tad – at times. This can also be said of Beland’s song here. Its electric guitar driven but driven tastefully and never unbridled or unhinged.

The next one, “Conspiracy,” is more in Beland’s musical wheelhouse. He sings it rather gently, while backed by a quiet, stripped-down percussion bed. ‘Conspiracy’ has become a contemporary buzzword these days. What is and isn’t a conspiracy, depends upon which end of the economic/political side of the spectrum you find yourself. Beland admits to doing some spiritual questioning of late, so the song’s lyrics may refer back to some of these philosophical queries. Philosophers have said that the unexamined life is not worth living, and one gets the distinct impression Beland is examining many of his pre-conceived ideas with a microscope – if necessary.

Beland is at his most vulnerable during “Feel Like Cryin’,” which features his delicate vocal, sung over an electric piano arrangement. This instrumentation is most often applied to jazz music, but this isn’t jazz. In fact, it’s a bit Beatle-esque, in that its melody and performance may remind you of John Lennon’s more searching musical exercises.

Branding an album as What I Believe inevitably leads to asking – if not always answering – life’s biggest questions. Chris Beland is no shallow singer/songwriter. He doesn’t ever want to fill the world with silly love songs. Instead, his album is his place for thinking out loud, with songs, and it’s a rewarding forum due to his many and varied thoughts.