Blake Mills is enigmatic. Crossing genre boundaries with grace and confidence, his sound is extraordinarily difficult to pigeon hole. Yet, it seems that’s the way he likes it. In the course of twelve songs, the full gamut of guitar based music is covered. From country to blues to folk to rock and back again twice.
At times, Heigh Ho is almost pure country (see “Half Asleep”). At others, it’s unashamedly folk (see “Before It Fell”). The album is comparable to Forrest Gump in so far as you can never be quite sure what you’re going to get next. The almost irreverent smatterings of discordance or orchestral parts keep the listener on their toes. Just when you feel like you’re settling into a tune that James Taylor would have been proud of, you’re hit with minor chord changes and demented guitar effects that range in sound from bent tuba to didgeridoo.
Heigh Ho can’t really be called a departure from Blake’s 2010 offering Break Mirrors. But as expected from a four year gap between releases, it marks a maturation in both lyrics and production. Blake’s reputation as a session musician precedes him, having worked on albums with such distinguished names as Weezer, Norah Jones, The Dixie Chicks, Pink and Lana Del Ray. Perhaps the breadth of musical styles in that listing is symbolic of Blake’s ever-changing solo sound. At the very least, when listening to Heigh Ho, you’d have to say his range of experience has influenced his personal song writing.
This record is all at once fun, dark and deep. If his talent as a guitarist is well documented, the richness of his voice is a new discovery. On tracks such as the single “If I’m Unworthy”, his voice dominates an effect-heavy guitar track. It’s a voice worthy of the best country records, pun intended. Yet his song writing is not limited by what his voice can do. “Three Weeks in Havana” begins like an Ed Sheeran tune, but its sad lyrics take it to a special place – a theme recurrent throughout this record.
One way or another, the longer you listen to this record, the deeper your respect for Blake as an artist grows. This is a beautifully crafted collection of music that covers topics of love, loss and overthinking with ease and style. In the words of Molly Meldrum, do yourself a favour and take a listen. It’s not for everyone, I’m sure, but if you love music in all its forms, then you’ll have no choice but to appreciate what Blake Mills has created here.
Heigh Ho is available now.
Review Score: 9.1 out of 10 
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