Flower power and hippie culture is one that has left its mark on music history. Bands like Led Zeppelin and Grateful Dead have iconic sounds that offer a dreamy aesthetic to their harmonic rock. T. J. Doyle and his band have successfully resurrected this spirit in their new single, Lullaby. A pleasantly ethereal track that is a modern day offering of a classic sound.
The track holds nothing back and sets its mood immediately. The instrumentals are upbeat, entrancing and the perfect setup for the vocal performance. The vocals are as dreamy as the instrumentals, soft and contemplative with a cloudy aesthetic. Both of these elements are complemented by superb mixing that makes the track feel in motion. The chimes and guitar licks that hit each ear evoke a feeling of mysterious wonder. Lyrically, the track is a love song with some surprisingly deep and introspective lyrics. Along with a memorable chorus, there are deep lines such as “Learned that Nature is deep and learned that she is free.” This line is just one of many that offers both introspective insight as well as superb wordplay throughout the lyrical performance. The track is a testament to the experience of the T. J. Doyle Band, with an immaculate understanding of their own art.
Lullaby is a fantastic track. Everything from the production to the lyrical wordplay is fantastic. The dreamy hippie aesthetic the track carries is conveyed well and can pull you into it as early as the intro. While that aesthetic may not be for you, everyone should give Lullaby a listen. While it may not earn a slot on your main playlist, the artistry at work here will definitely make a lasting impression.
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports.
Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders.
His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023.
Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief.
Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale.
Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.
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