Mike Aiken’s ‘Captains & Cowboys’
By Elaine Alluin
Captain & Cowboys is the sixth album from Folk, Country, Rock and Roots star Mike Aiken. Singer and songwriter Aiken writes about his life experience ranging from sailing the ocean to his self-sufficient farming days.
"Save the babies, kiss the ladies, having drinks with my friends," is a code Aiken lives by. According to MikeAiken. Aiken is able to bring his deepest narratives to life with his lyrics and skillful beats.
The first track is called “Virginia” which is about his home and how it holds a special place in his heart. It’s a slow and soulful song that showcases his love for the state of Virginia.
Aiken describes his passion for the state and how it has become a love of his life with the lyrics, “I can hear your voice in the whispering pines from the Blue Ridge to the sea/Your such a tainted lover but I can’t take another, it just won’t do for me/Out on your fields and battlegrounds full of blue, black and grey/
In the full moon light feel the spirits in the night you can almost here them say.”
Following this slower love song is “Coal Train” which has a faster tempo. The next song “Your Memory” goes back to the soft and slow beat of the first song. “Your Memory” is a classic song of heartache.
Aiken has resulted to drinking his sorrows away since his lover is no longer around with the lyrics, “You're still in my heart and this empty bed is all you left behind/Between the whisky and your memory- your memory wins every time.”
The following songs mirror the same consistent sound for the following songs. The last song “Captain & Cowboys brings the album to a full circle because it is a genuine song that combines everything that Aiken stands for. It conveys Aiken’s talent and motivation for the album. Captains & Cowboys is a sentimental album that will open your eyes to the world authentic country music.