Vincent Colbert

Sometimes music feels like it resonates with the mood of my life or just the world around me. On this Monday after a nation-shaking moment of violence on Saturday, the title of Dark Days resonated a bit too well. The soothing acoustic guitar here and Vincent Colbert’s exceptional vocal works to bring this hatred and violence into perspective. Do give it a listen.

We featured the single “Michigan” earlier on the site and for good reason. It’s a beautiful and engaging track that will both lull you to sleep and pull you in with thoughtful lyrics. Nearly worshipful in its composition, the song brings an additional layer of backing strings that make it feel truly timeless.

The title track “Dark Days” has the same iconic Colbert acoustic guitar work. The phrasing, as always, is really well delivered making for another solid track. The lyrics are a bit unclear as to exactly what the writer’s been through, but that makes them really accessible to the listener. It’s about looking back and feeling bad about something, but having hope for the future. Isn’t that what reconciliation is all about? We can’t ignore our broken past, but we can make promises to never let it happen again. Perfect.

“Don’t Let Me Go” is a prayerfully-delivered message for a lost lover. It’s about that terrifying moment when loneliness looms. Now what? What’s going to happen? Anyone who has ever been broken up with will resonate with this powerful song. The following “Above Tree Line” is an interesting blend of natural imagery with emotional gravity. The instrumentation is a little different, allowing keys to take the main focus and the guitars accenting. I’m not a nature expert, but I think it’s a reference to being at the top of a mountain where trees can’t grow. It’s about being alone, sure, but it’s also about a sense of being lost with nowhere left to go but down.

The final track “Outlast the Sun” might be my favorite right there with “Michigan.” I’m an unapologetic fan of Colbert’s acoustic work. The way the fingerpicking rolls from line to line, phrase to phrase, really makes for a soothing yet engaging song. Again the natural imagery blends with an emotional lyrical core, making for a tried and true folk song.

I enjoyed this album quite a bit and do plan to revisit it regularly. Maybe you don’t like my connection of this music to contemporary events, but the sense of devastation and isolation in Colbert’s lyrics connected with me through this music. I am eternally grateful for the solace found in well-crafted music. There is healing in these sounds; the harmonies, melodies, and beautiful execution are part of what should remind us that love will prevail. Beauty cannot be destroyed by the broken, willful hatred of the few. - Ear to the Ground

Vincent Colbert – Unwind
Vincent Colbert provides subtle, esoteric folk music. There’s an intimacy in his art that comes through with each finger-picked note. He seems to have a delicacy in both his songwriting and his delivery. Even once the “big” sound comes in on tracks like the opener “Homesick,” it does so with a sweeping passion rather than a blast. The guitar work on tracks like “Broken Joy” is enough to melt the listener; Colbert’s romantic lyrics just take it to the next level. This is an album meant to relax and pull you out of your seat all at once. - Ear to the Ground

The ease of Vincent Colbert’s vocals speaks straight to the heart. Powerful in its own right, the first single, “Beth (Hold On),” evokes triumph in the wake of defeat. Colbert says, “We’re all facing (or will face) a personal ‘war’ of sorts. But we’ll make it through. Someone is fighting for us and will help us get there.” Anthemic and strong, it serves as a reminder to “Hold out for better times.” - Paste Magazine

Vincent Colbert’s debut release is a scorched beauty, a lovely mixture of melody, a fragile yet authoritative voice and astute summing up of the uncertainties of life. The Ann-Arbor based singer-songwriter worked on these five tracks while adjusting to life in Michigan and it is perfectly captured in these hushed, bruised songs.

Anyone who has moved long distances for work or love will understand the difficulties of settling into a new life in unfamiliar territory. The fear of losing a part of yourself during the course of such a major alteration.

Colbert communicates those emotions expertly, but without fuss. Similarly the music is lovingly crafted, but on occasions barely raises above a whisper. It is a thing of beauty.

The bare ballad ‘Rose Yellow Moon’ might be the pick of the tracks here, Colbert solitary at the local watering hole with no company other than his beer and the wonderful howl of a slide guitar. The title track is another gem, with its couplet of “You know I’m not okay, everything will surely go astray” almost acting as a statement of intent for the rest of the record.

‘As You Are’ is complemented by delicate piano, while ‘Closing Hymn’ has the quality of a confessional with its barely-there vocal. It all adds up to an ideal EP – one that leaves you wanting more and eager for a full-length release. It will doubtless interest fans of Ryan Adams or Dylan LeBlanc, but the signs are promising that Colbert has the ability to stand on his own two feet outside of any comparisons. - For Folk's Sake

In the last few months, Ann Arbor-based singer/songwriter, Vincent Colbert, has become a constant with two Daily Krapht features for his singles, “Baseline” and “Rose Yellow Moon” – both singles from his highly anticipated debut EP, Stranger In My House. Once you take a listen, you’ll understand why we at Wordkrapht continually promote Colbert’s music.

The Stranger In My House EP is a piece of work that has Colbert baring his soul and using his music as a way of coping with a mix of emotions including sadness, loneliness, and hope. After moving to Michigan, Colbert found himself alone without any friends or connections, so he decided to write about what it felt like to be a stranger in his own home.

The EP starts off with “Baseline,” a song about starting over and making it through the hard times. Colbert sings with a romantic quality along with his tender, soft vocals which follow a distinctive beat throughout the song. Another song that was previously featured, “Rose Yellow Moon,” was written when Colbert participated in a songwriter game in which he had to take a random phrase and write a song around that phrase. It’s apparent that this track was written based on the personal experience Colbert faced when moving to Michigan area.

Colbert’s romantic nature takes over in “As You Are” in a song where he professes his love with words like “I will love you as you are” and “I will find you near or far.” The recording is so raw that you can hear the sound of Colbert’s fingers sliding from chord to chord on his acoustic guitar as he plays along side the sound of the piano in this beautiful love song.

The title track, “Stranger In My House” has Colbert tackling the topic of loneliness in the first two minutes, but around that two minute mark, an instrumental section has the music slowly beginning to become louder and takes on a powerful, stronger element. It’s at this point in the song that Colbert sings the lyric “I’m not throwing in the towel, just living in the shadow of my doubt, I will search on.” The song reaches a level of hope as Colbert sings, “I’ll try to find the light. I will fight until I die.”

Vincent Colbert has brought us an EP that is filled with a raw sound to go along with a sense of vulnerability that follows Colbert with each word he sings. He has nothing to hide and he’s not afraid to let the listeners learn of his pain and loneliness he felt during this dark period in his life because somewhere out there someone else is dealing with similar emotions and Colbert’s music just may help that certain person get through that dark period, too. That’s one of the powers of music. While songs may have a sense of sadness, those same songs help heal, as well. So, go ahead and take in the beautiful, tender stylings of Vincent Colbert on his debut EP, Stranger In My House. - Wordkrapht

Ann Arbor-based singer-songwriter Vincent Colbert writes tunes that are heart-rending yet filled with hope. His painstakingly honest lyrics and tender vocal delivery capture a sentiment many can relate to. He’ll be releaseing an EP titled Stranger In My House in January. We have the pleasure of showcasing the first single, “Baseline.” - American Songwriter

It's often difficult for musicians to rise above the usual singer-songwriter tropes simply because they are so ingrained within our collective musical consciousness. But for Ann Arbor, Michigan-based singer Vincent Colbert, this obstacle is just one more thing to rise above. His insightful and intensely personal narratives cling to their rhythmic hearts like drowning men. But for all their ragged emotional vulnerability, his songs do exhibit a fierce resilience to the struggles and pains that come from day-to-day life.

And with "Baseline," the first single from his debut EP, "Stranger in My House," Colbert wrings enough emotion from his words and each carefully chosen note to elicit a deep and involved response from his listeners. There's a communal sense of finding your place in the world here that manages to be both a little frightening and somewhat hopeful. Buoyed by a propulsive acoustic guitar and clacking percussion, the song draws you along in its shivering wake, anxiously waiting for the first rays of light to burn away the darkness. - Nooga.com