Charlie John’s Debut Album: A Testament To Artistic Brilliance & Dedication

I’ve been following Charlie John for several years now and his artistry, songwriting and musicianship has always impressed me. Charlie, originally from Cincinnati and now living in Covington, KY released his long-awaited debut, self-titled album on November 10th and I can’t stop listening! The album is a melting pot of musical genres and is full of tasty beats and heartfelt lyrics.

Charlie, the 12-track debut album was written, performed, mixed and mastered by the multi-talented Charlie John. It’s clear the album is a very personal one and delves into love, loss and life-lessons.

“Out of the hundreds of songs I’ve written over the years, these are the twelve I feel closest to,” says Charlie of his new album.

Charlie opens with an upbeat anthem, “Cheer Up,” that is sure to lift your spirits. Charlie calls “Cheer Up” his “angry, sarcastic, indie-pop-rock anthem aimed at my trauma (as well as others responding to my trauma).” He says he had the bones and the hook in about 20 minutes, but it took him months and months to figure out the rest. If you’re having a rough day, listen to this song and you will definitely cheer the f*ck up!

“Can You Hear Me” is an addictive pop track. Charlie says he learned most everything he knows from his dad, Bill Millikin, who is a songwriter, producer and singer. The lyrics are so relatable – we all just want to be heard.

For “Circles”, Charlie says he got lost in the world of finding cool synth sounds and snagged this tune while he was there. The song was mixed, mastered and “brought to life” by Charlie’s friend, the amazing Kevin Stokley.

“Sun Comes Up” features one of Charlie’s favorite singers of all time, Clara Wilson Millard. Charlie says he’s had this song finished for some time and knew he wanted a female voice on the track, so he reached out to Clara, a singer he had heard at a local talent show several years ago and was ecstatic when she agreed to lend her voice to this light and love-filled tune. The album features a full version of this song, as well as a superb acoustic version.

One of the stand-out treasures on this album is, “The Best Is Yet To Come,” a song Charlie wrote as a message for his younger self and it’s a beautifully, touching song we can all relate to. Charlie says, “Did I cry multiple times while editing the music video? Of course I did.” I also cried while watching. You can watch the video below and we bet you’ll cry too.

“Over My Head” is a hauntingly beautiful love song. “A song for my wife,” Charlie says. “I feel every day that she makes me a better person and every day I’m in way over my head. She’s out of my league. She calms and steadies me.”

“Hearts Don’t Break” is a haunting and meaningful tune. “I wrote this song a long time ago about a loved one losing a loved one. It helped me process what was going on in a situation where I didn’t think words were enough,” says Charlie.

Charlie professes his love in the upbeat and amorous, “I Can’t,” which was produced by Charlie’s dad, Bill Milliken, and inspired by Parachute. “Break Your Heart” is a catchy sing-a-long, and a heartfelt apology. And the album wraps up with the AMAZING cover of Phil Collins‘ “Take Me Home.” (Don’t tell Phil but I love Charlie’s cover more than the original!)

You can listen to Charlie below and be sure to follow Charlie John on social media (links below). There’s a lot more great music on the way!