This album was inspired by a road trip with two friends across much of the U.S.A. We set foot and tyre in 15 states and took in most of the hotspots of american music history, each was every bit as good as we hoped. The songs are best experienced with good headphones while walking, or in a fast car on the open road. Lyrics etc. - mdhmusic.com/road-movie

Review by Cameron Dunham:

"Debut Album Delivers Box Office Mojo
 
“Road Movie” is the first album by MDH, the nom de plume of gifted singer/songwriter Michael Humphrey. It’s an impressively bold foray, not least because the songs are thematically linked and inspired by the artist’s own road trip across the good ol’ U.S. of A. Even more impressive is Humphrey’s multi instrumental prowess, strong singing voice and a magnetic north for “the right” melody. This guy’s got SERIOUS game!
 
Album opener, “Road Movie 1” sees us up in the air with a moodily impressionistic flight across the Atlantic. The instrumental piece is laced with a tentative optimism and excitement as the narrator gets ready for a JFK touchdown. It’s reminiscent of the kind of soundtrack that Thomas Newman pays the rent with and gives the listener an immediate sign that Humphrey is going for something cinematic here. The clue’s in the album title, right?
 
We’re off the plane in a rush of adrenaline as “New York Minute” takes us through the best (and worst) of The Big Apple in…just over two minutes! The overlaid harmonies glaze the hooky chorus sweeter than a heart attack of doughnuts and the acoustic guitar work is nipped and tucked tighter than…well, you get the picture. Suffice to say, Humphrey isn’t messing around here; you want a catchy tune with immediacy? Well, say goodbye to your eardrums - it’s feeding time down at the ear wormery!
 
“Endless Texas”, washed clean through in beautiful synths, lifts dreamily out of the speakers into a chorus as big as the open plains that the tune opines. It also serves as a nice counterpoint to the acoustic work of “New York Minute” and begins the showcase of styles that Humphrey comfortably moves through. It’s built for prime-time radio.
 
“A Town for all Seasons” yearns with the melancholic longing of a Hotel California reduced down to an old town motel, murdered by the great American highway. One gets the sense that you’re not encouraged to checkout anytime but, sooner or later, everyone leaves.  Evocative in a funereal sense, this one showcases the artist’s multi instrumental prowess and songwriting depth. Give it a few spins, you’ll see what I mean.
 
With “Santa Fe Sunset” Humphrey moves to the piano stool at a late-night cocktail lounge whilst “Louisiana ain’t no Swamp” lifts the tempo with a jolly romp through the Mardi Gras locale, its Cajun tongue lodged firmly in cheek. Both tunes whisk by in the wheel spin of a rented convertible before we head down a more sinister road…
 
“Hey Mr Memphis” positively oozes out of the speakers with all the sleaze of a Lizard King returned. A truly epic sax solo, nicely underpinned by Manzarek-esque organ, conclusively proves that we’ve landed in a moral vacuum. Well, if no one here does get out alive, at least the soundtrack is kinda happening.
 
The dissonance of “Area 51”, neatly incorporated into a more conventional folk piece, again evidences Humphrey’s songwriting skill and formidable musicality. At times like this, it’s easy to forget that this is all the work of one man and not the blended abilities of a group. I told you that this guy is talented, right?
 
And then we’re in country and western territory with “Nashville Queen”. Well of course we are – no American road movie would be complete without at least a cursory nod to the musical lifeblood of the USA heartland. Once again Humphrey nails it to the wall. He keeps it light, keeps it breezy and gives us a clear indication that hey, we’re just passin’ through here! with the line “I didn’t shout out I was from much further away”. It’s another strong contender for song of the album and moves credibly into the genre without losing the artist’s characteristic flair for a driving acoustic and a harmony laden chorus.
 
What to expect from a song entitled “Vegas”? The steroidal pump of Braund Reynolds “Natural Gambler” perhaps? Or maybe the crooning majesty of Sinatra’s pompery at its shit-eating finest? Try a red eyed paean to homesickness via “the country’s largest gift shop” and the “Stratosphere Tower view”. Very moody, very four in the morning. But hey, we’ve got a plane to catch…
 
“Road Movie 2” is another impressionistic flight through the clouds. It’s a cool little bookend which, along with the album opener, (almost) frames the narrative of the songs. We’re on our return journey, a little older, a little wiser, but keen to get home.
 
Humphrey saves his major assault on the commercial jugular for the album’s closer, “Tend the Flame”, a song that would serve any boy band well in the ballad department. Our hero returns from his travels espousing truths spun from the everyday folk of the New World but, underneath it all, he’s just a lovelorn guy returning to keep a promise. It’s a straight up love song that wears its heart on its sleeve. It works superbly well and, as the final track of “Road Movie”,  gives the piece satisfying closure. “Yes”, it says. “I may wander but when all is said and done, I’ll always come home to you.” And who doesn’t like a happy ending?
 
It’s rare that an artist hits it SO out of the park on a first release but that’s exactly what MDH has done with “Road Movie”. To deliver a debut album, a concept album nevertheless, with songs as strong as these is nothing short of remarkable. I recommend that you listen to it. Listen to it now.
 
You can stream it here:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RGQZdS9fBC4
 
And check out all things Michael Humphrey at the MDH website:
mdhusic.com"