Experience the Soulful Excellence of Dylan Meek’s Debut Album: All I Need

February 18 saw the release of Dylan Meek’s new album All I Need, enabling audiences to finally experience his letter of adornment to the concept of freedom. Through love, synthesis and humor, All I Need is a true and heartfelt personification of the human voice.

Originally raised in raised in Wimberley, TX, Meek’s was trained by Harlem piano master Jimmy Neeley, allowing the 14 year old access to nearly a century of wisdom and music. He soon ended up in NYC to attend the New School for Jazz, and lived in the city for 7 years, collaborating frequently with other legends in the industry. Now, for the last three years, Dylan pivoted his focus to writing and performing his own original songs; he has amassed a dedicated Los Angeles fanbase in the process.

“This album means so much to me. I put a lot of love, intention, and energy behind it. It is a Love Opus: and carries with it, many forms of love.  Summer Love, Playful Love, Joyful love, Sentimental love, Gentle Love, Gritty Love, All encompassing raw and chaotic Love.  In my opinion:  Love is a dynamic feeling. It comes in all forms and lives in its own power. Love is one of the most powerful things. It is more than a definition: It is a feeling. Love can be the will to live, the will to grow, the will to never give up.“

“Prelude” is exactly what it sounds like, but also presents itself as so much more. This piece is an instrumental, and a pure and beautiful arrangement of string instruments. In just a minute and thirty seconds, the track introduces its audience to a wide arrangement of emotions in its composition and tone. Happiness with bits of pieces of solemnity and tension can exist in a single piece, and this is expertly shown in the brilliance of “Prelude.”

“Sweet Summer” expresses all of the joy that comes with the season in a jazzy and soulful like manner, easily soothing anyone willing to give the track a listen. Meeks sings of his appreciation for the time of year, how it wakes him up at the right time, how it clears his mood of negativity, and how it’s a season that satisfies him to the fullest. With the surprise of an electronic guitar in the second half of the song, “Sweet Summer” is simply a good time all around.

“Let’s Dance – Extended Version” is another that takes great value in what can be created with a carefully toned keyboard. “Lets Dance” was originally Meeks first ever single published to a wide audience, and now with a newly added saxophone solo, is even more of an anthem of appreciating and taking pride in the life that you have around you.

“Shining Stars” starts with appreciating the funky, and Meeks sounds as if he’s performing to us from under a pool of water. With more use of a primary electronic guitar sprinkled in the later parts of the track, Meeks’ voice is amplified while he reminisces on old memories under the stars with that special someone, the brilliance of their light sending him into a daze.

“Without You” is immediately different from all other tracks before it, as Meeks’ voice is unedited and purely raw with emotion. He describes of what his life would be like ‘without you,’ that birds wouldn’t sing, that the world would become cold. This is the definition of a sad long song in its purest form, spilling with the unaltering loyalty that love causes one to have with another, and the heartbreak that comes when the two have to split.

“All I Need” completely juxtaposes the previous track, as although Meeks’ continues the manner of which he leaves his voice unedited, he talks of all the light that exists with his beloved continuing to exist in this world. The happy undertones are as heartfelt as any track could ever become, referring to a loved one as a the sunlight, and a song that is perfectly sung.

“All I Need, Part Ii” seamlessly continues what part one set up, and Meeks does what he does best, singing the original lyrics in a soulful arrangement that stapled the earlier songs of the album.

“All I Need, Part Iii” is a whopping nine minutes and fourteen seconds, and is the perfect ending to an album as unique as this one. It starts off with a symphony a coordinated drums, and adds more instrumentals as the song carries on. Improvised or not, the track gives off the exceptional vibe of listening to a live jazz set in a dimly lit club, and is the perfect listen for those in love with jazz as a genre.

All I Need can and should be experienced all in one sitting, and a link to do so is provided for here: