JOEL SARAKULA

Imagine if Ray Manzarek was the frontman of the Bee Gees…. It’s a beautiful visual introduction to Joel Sarakula, an Australian artist from the United Kingdom who writes, produces and sings Soulful Pop, gazing at a contemporary world through vintage glasses, vintage clothing and long blond hair. His music is inspired by a rich palette from the 1970s, with influences from soft rock, funk and disco: sunny, uptempo jams for darker times.

Joel Sarakula’s new album, “Soft Focus” is a mid-career album that spans his many influences and genres, including Soft-Rock, Funk and Indie Pop, all brought under the umbrella of his gentle gaze and a “soft” aesthetic. “Soft Focus” is also the name of a photographic technique that stems from lens spherical aberration where the image is a bit blurry and undefined.

Highlights include one of the two Shawn Lee-produced tracks “I’ll Get By Without You” and “Telephone Calls,” the more rocking, iberic beat of “King Of Spain,” the soulful affirmation of “Back For Your Love” and the psychedelic-tinged “Bird Of Paradise” and “Microdosing.” This is an album made with love, well-polished and it feels like the culmination of Sarakula’s adventures in soulful soft-rock and his defining statement in the genre. There will be comparisons to contemporary projects like Shawn Lee’s Young Gun Silver Fox, Drugdealer, Benny Sings and Prep, as well as echoes of soft-rock icons Ned Doheny, Boz Scaggs and Michael Franks gently rippling through the album.