Arthur Fowler - What Keeps Me Going (Self-Released)

Arthur Fowler is a singer-songwriter from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, but currently located in Tokyo, Japan. Influenced by the psychedelic era, Fowler studied at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, studying and joining alongside acclaimed jazz musicians like Jack Grassel and Eva Denia. Fowler has just released his newest solo album, What Keeps Me Going, invoking his love and passion for artists like Neil Young, James Taylor, and Jimi Hendrix. Fowler’s own voice seems like an amalgamation between the two of Taylor and Young. The album is a breezy collection of alternative folk, with strong gusts of psychedelica floating in at unexpected but not unwelcome moments.

There’s a certain Jonathan Richman naivety to Fowler’s style, something hard to get right but which he absolutely nails. It’s nowhere more evident than on the self-explanatory “Love The Music.” On songs like “Twlight Breeze” his jazz training becomes much more obvious, bringing a light touch to his sound. He picks a really interesting cover choice with Young’s “For The Turnstiles” from his much underrated album On The Beach. While it lacks the mental instability of Young’s, it actually sounds more like what people consider a typical Neil Young song to sound like than the original.

What Keeps Me Going is an unassuming collection of songs that don’t bring much attention to themselves, so while the merit may not be screaming out loud at you, the charm and fun of the album only grow increasingly with repeated listens.