Album Notes

Ty Kovatch's second effort juxtaposes haunting, nostalgic tracks like "22," "Valhalla," and "Fourth of July" against the defiance of songs like "The Way It's Gonna Be," "Have You Figured It Out Yet?" "Cali II" and "Verses" in a way that paints a clear picture of his experience with love, loss, and coming of age. The raw energy that endeared listeners to his first album "Uno" is alive and well on this record.

Review of "Rum and Honey"
by Tim Whitaker

"I can remember, very specifically, where I was and what I was doing the first time I heard "Stay". I rushed to buy Uno and once it found it's way to my stereo, it didn't leave for weeks. I was amazed at just how engaging the entire album was (is) from start to finish. So naturally, my expectations for Rum and Honey were quite high.

On Rum and Honey, Ty pounces on every opportunity to show off a much improved vocal capability. If his voice is a major change, his song writing remains both powerfully thought provoking ("Verses", "Mothers Ashes") and dreamy ("Collide"). Several songs on this album would have fit nicely on Uno. It's nice to see an artist stick to refining his roots while subtly reminding his audience that he has undoubtedly been working to perfect his craft. The only track on the album I could do without is the title track which seems to find Ty experimenting at the switch board a bit too eagerly (try this track on head phones...you'll see). All of the 11 other tracks make for pleasurable listening. For Uno owners who found themselves repeating "California", "Stay", "Lucky", "These Days" and "APB" continuously; this album offers much of the same in "Valhalla", "22", "Collide", "4th of July", and "the Way It's Gonna Be". Though few songs on this album could be described as cheery or upbeat, the quality of the music and the Vedder-esqe grainy vocals reflect enough raw emotion to make you forget why you ever needed a song to make you smile.

In closing, Rum and Honey is solid sophomore effort. Good work, Ty."