Upon hearing 18-year-old Dylan Gardner on Shane Dawson’s podcast, my first impression of him was that he was just another aspiring musician hoping to make it with some auto-tune and a few back up singers.

This impression was not based on his demeanor or attitude, -he seemed extremely down to earth and polite- it was simply a stereotype that I now regret ever associating him with.

Later into the podcast, Dylan opened up about his ability to write songs and natural love for music. When he started singing, I came to find that he truly did have something special. Just his voice in tune with his guitar was enjoyable to hear, unlike most of the “best singers” in current Pop Culture.

I was quite intrigued by the idea of writing a review for this album considering I already knew of Dylan and wanted to get to know him further. At the start of my review, I was given the album itself and a bookmark with photos of him on it. I have to say, my first time seeing Dylan, I thought he looked like a young Paul McCartney!

Just the clothing he was wearing and the design of the album cover reminded me of The Beatles. When the time came to actually listen to the album, I was quite excited. When I heard the first line of the single “Let’s Get Started,” a smile came across my face. “I’ll be John and you’ll be Yoko” was the first line and I was tickled by the fact that Dylan had made this reference, considering I associated him with The Beatles before even pressing play.

This album has such a unique sound, that there is really no way to describe it. I love the fact that I can hear actual instruments and not just computer generated noises. The lyrics are so rich with purpose that it is hard not to relate to them.

Each song blends with the next, creating a seamless melody that is both soothing and makes you want to dance and sing along. In a way, I almost feel proud of Dylan like he is one of my personal friends because it is such a great feeling to find an artist that is different from the crowd. I hope to see Dylan performing on huge stages, signing autographs, and winning grammys in the future because I honestly feel that his music is worthy of these honors.

My favorite tracks are Let’s Get Started, Heroes Tonight, The Actor, and With A Kiss. Hopefully if/when Dylan releases more songs, I will have several other favorites to add to my list. Believe me when I say that I am truly impressed by each track on this album, and encourage everyone to give it a listen.