Lee Gallagher And The Hallelujah
Lee Gallagher And The Hallelujah release ‘Half Lit (The Future’s Ours)’on Sept 29th. It is the second single from their anticipated new album titled, The Falcon Ate The Flower to be released early November 2023.
Why do we at Pow Magazine care about Lee Gallagher And The Hallelujah?
Because the classic California rock & roll songwriting is excellent, with outstanding musicianship from The Hallelujah. Lee Gallagher‘s voice stands out from the crowd with its’ transcendent quality. Gallagher has spent most of his career in San Francisco, California and Pow Magazine supports San Francisco artists.
‘Half Lit (The Future’s Ours)’ is classic Americana folk rock & roll which has musical flavors of Led Zeppelin, The Black Crowes, Humble Pie and The Grateful Dead. They capture that California rock sound that has carried through the years as the quintessential foundation for rock music world-wide. They have taken great care to infuse their sound with vintage tones while capturing the best of what contemporary recording has to offer.
The bluesy rocking ‘Half Lit (The Future’s Ours)‘ was written at the beginning of the pandemic. “Lyrically, it’s quite literal,” Gallagher states. “There was a giant Coca-Cola sign in San Francisco that was only half lit and there were only a few cars on the 101 freeway with wild fire smoke enveloping the city—very apocalyptic.”
The song has velvety, creamy electric guitar with an edgy bite expressing rock guitar tones that musicians drool over from Jason Soda. The keyboard played by Jonny Niemann, stay clean and punctuates the chords strummed by the acoustic guitars in the background, bringing clarity to the tonal structure of the song. The percussion is tight and the drummer, Will Scott, knows how to drive the song while keeping open spaces for the wonderful vocals and guitars to shine. The drums are well played, recorded beautifully and the bass is tight in the groove. Arguably, great rhythm section is the key to having an awesome band.
Even more essential than tight rhythm section is a front-man who can bring the audience to a deeper relationship with the music. Lee Gallagher’s unique and powerful voice reaches inside the heart of the listener. The lyrics describe the end of the day and feeling a sense of woe with the stars and moon above. The darkness of night is broken by half lit Coca-Cola sign, a metaphor for human emotions. The chorus emphatically states, “These are the times we must get together, even in times we feel alone. It’s to reveal the future’s ours to steal.”
The quality Gallagher‘s voice is strong and driven without distorting or shouting. The vibrato and phrasing is highly considered for maximum effectiveness. The vocals are backed and doubled, bolstering their power through the verses with high harmony entering for the chorus. The vocals are clear and present and also set back in the mix, much like one would hear in a live performance. Gallagher gives the vocals an extra push to rise above the band, giving the music an intimate live feel.
Lee Gallagher grew up in Ohio and moved to San Francisco where he started a band called The Hallelujah. His first release was an EP in 2013 which focused on folk music and acoustic guitars. He quickly shifted gears back into full on rock music. In fact, on this new album he continues to play the acoustic guitars as the foundation for his skilled band to build upon. In 2015 The Hallelujah released their self-titled album, followed by L.A. Yesterday, under the current name Lee Gallagher and The Hallelujah in July of 2020. L.A. Yesterday which received critical acclaim with its layered acoustic guitars and rich sound. They were unable to tour on the album due to the unfortunate events of 2020 that suddenly shut down live music worldwide. This was unfortunate because they had a great live line-up and the concerts would have attracted a lot of attention for the band.
Now, in 2023, they are back and fully loaded to launch their latest album, The Falcon Ate The Flower. The Falcon Are The Flower has all the makings of a breakout album for the band. The first single, currently available on Bandcamp, is ‘Something Better’, which opens with drummed acoustic guitar and raw vocals. The electric guitars enter as the song builds. ‘Something Better’ was a uplifting song with just as much appeal as ‘Half Lit (The Future’s Ours). Lee Gallagher and The Hallelujah are unique talents and the latest singles have set a high bar for the upcoming album and their cohesive and talented band are certain to grow their fan base and inspire.
https://leegallagher.bandcamp.com/album/the-falcon-ate-the-flower
