James Apollo’s third album Hide Your Heart in a Hive is one that will define his career as a musician. Apollo drifted across America like a young Bad Blake. He slept in his car and played a new town every night. He was alone, unhappy and thought that’s what he wanted. It took a motorbike accident in New York to give him a way out. He couldn’t walk for six months but said it was the best thing that could have happened to him.
From that experience, his album Hide Your Heart in a Hive was born – and what an album it is. It’s a mix of raw guitar and piano tracks that carry a melancholic blues feeling with them. His voice is jagged and fits the music. ‘ I’ve Got It Easy’ and ‘Beauty Bird’ are both outstanding tracks. Comparisons lean towards William Faulkner and Tom Waits but Apollo is definitely his own man. Hide Your Heart in a Hive takes you right into the life of lonely traveller. It feels alive.
Words: John G. Fagan