15 songs, all based on true stories and real life experiences. For example; the inmate who becomes an icon painter in his prison cell and learns to re-paint his life in a new light (“Icon”). A song inspired by one of the most striking encounters for Michael Patrick Kelly, who already sang for inmates behind bars on several occasions. The blind runner and Paralympic gold medalist hauling his collapsed guide as he runs to the finish line, aided only by the shouts from the audience in the Stadium (“Running Blind”).
Little 5-year-old Michael Patrick nicking flowers for his mother's grave from neighboring graves. Decades later, he brings a pickup truck full of bouquets to the robbed neighbor's graves, moving a Spanish village to tears (“Mother's Day”).
Or “Blurry Eyes”, an epic love song for all those who need to hear that they are loved just the way they are. And "Home" comes as a hymnal testament to the hope of an eternal home after the final curtain of our time here on earth.
Michael Patrick Kelly's distinctive 4-octave voice, his gifted songwriting, his skills as a full-blooded musician and producer - but also his life experience as a child star, teeny crush, monk, husband, and rock star having returned to the big stages - enable him to bust out songs that go all-in in terms of courage, comfort and hope, without ever coming off naïve.
Be it in cinematic like ballads, or full throttle Springsteen-like booming rock, be it in pop with reggae flavor or handmade indie folk, an iconic 60's Beatles sound or modern urban beats: Musically speaking, B•O•A•T•S pushes all genre boundaries.
And all throughout the album's various soundscapes and moods, his exceptional voice runs through it all like a tireless river, taking us into the glooming dawn of a world only we can make better: “Come on let's right some wrongs!” as he sings in the title song.
In these unsettling times, Michael Patrick Kelly writes songs that bring humanity back into our ears and hearts. He shows that there is greatness in people. And that we can find it, if we’re willing to see it.
It wouldn't be a Michael Patrick Kelly album if it wasn't captivatingly good music, and it also wouldn't be one, if it didn't lead you to believe that humankind is not only this planet’s downfall, but also its greatest hope.