7/10

Since the release of his debut album 'Feathers & Fishhooks' back in 2012, singer-songwriter Rayland Baxter has been hard at work pushing his signature sound as far and wide as possible. Embarking on a great number of tours in the last couple of years, his time on the road has been the only chance to work on a follow up and now it comes in the form of 'Imaginary Man', an album that in his own words is "an audible record of my journey down the bright blue river of imagination".

While it may sound like a tranquil and calming release, 'Imaginary Man' does have its bigger moments. Baxter's soaring voice is put to hard work throughout this record as each track aims to create its own place on a release filled with anthemic songwriting. As it plays, you feel like each song is trying to one-up the previous and produce this never-ending feeling of uplifting power.

The mixture of light and heavy moments on this album does give it a very multifaceted appeal. Overall, it seems that 'Imaginary Man' is the result of someone who is experimenting with new directions and this release is the litmus paper to test what truly sounds good for him. Namely, most of it.