I Am the Portuguese Blues

I Am the Portuguese Blues is the eighth full-length album released by Starflyer 59. With this album, the band returned to its past in multiple ways. The band's earlier albums had been characterized by loud guitars, but later albums saw the band progress to a softer sound, incorporating keyboards. I Am the Portuguese Blues saw the return of the sound from earlier albums, as the band was stripped just to Jeff Cloud on bass, Frank Lenz on drums, and Jason Martin, the only person to perform on all of Starflyer 59's albums, handling guitar and vocal duties. In addition, the album has a monochromatic cover, similar to those of Starflyer 59's first three albums (Silver, Gold, and Americana). Many of the songs on I Am the Portuguese Blues were written years earlier as demos for an album to follow Americana. They were eventually scrapped, as the band decided to take a different musical direction for The Fashion Focus. The old demos were refined and combined with several new songs for I Am the Portuguese Blues. In regards to the title of the album, Martin, the band's frontman said,

I Am the Portuguese Blues
Studio album by
ReleasedFebruary 24, 2004
Recorded2003 at The Black Hand
GenreAlternative rock, indie rock
Length27:27
LabelTooth & Nail
ProducerStarflyer 59
Starflyer 59 chronology
Old Demos
(2003)
I Am the Portuguese Blues
(2004)
The Last Laurel
(2004)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[1]
Christianity Today[2]
Cross Rhythms[3]
Jesus Freak Hideout[4]

"I thought the title was odd. There are a couple of proper blues riffs‚ on there, but mainly it is just a rock and roll album – no tricks no gimmicks.... And, oh yeah, I'm Portuguese."[5]

Track listing

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All songs written by Jason Martin.

No.TitleLength
1."Wake Up Early"2:53
2."Unlucky"2:11
3."Teens in Love"2:53
4."The Big Idea"2:53
5."Worth of Labor"2:48
6."Not Funny"2:34
7."Sound on Sound"2:34
8."Destiny"2:24
9."No Revolution"3:33
10."I Need Some Help"2:44

Personnel

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References

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  1. ^ I Am the Portuguese Blues at AllMusic
  2. ^ "I Am the Portuguese Blues". Crosswalk.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  3. ^ "Review: I Am The Portuguese Blues - Starflyer 59 - Cross Rhythms". crossrhythms.co.uk. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  4. ^ "Starflyer 59, "I Am The Portuguese Blues" Review". jesusfreakhideout.com. Retrieved October 21, 2015.
  5. ^ "I Am the Portuguese Blues press kit". Archived from the original on 29 July 2020. Retrieved 28 July 2020.