Kiefer Sutherland – “Down in a Hole” [Album Review]

When you hear the name Kiefer Sutherland, you naturally think of his thirty plus year acting career. You might envision the blond haired teenage vampire in the 1987 cult classic The Lost Boys, or maybe the crime-fighting Jack Bauer in the Fox Series 24, not to mention one of my favourites, the pistol-packing poet, Doc Scurlock in Young Guns. But low and behold, there is a whole lot more to the award-winning actor. Sutherland, featured in over sixty films to date, is also an extremely talented singer/songwriter.

Sutherland has just released his very first helping of music, his debut record Down in a Hole, and in the process has delivered proof that he is a multi-talented individual. Not your typical scenario of a well-known actor with the financial backing to record an album (and in doing so discovering they should probably stick to acting), this record is actually damn good!

Down in a Hole features eleven soothing tracks that take the classic definition of Americana and smack it around with a helping of blues rock. When you listen to Kiefer’s smooth-yet-raspy voice, along with the music, the lyrics unfold as if he is telling an enthralling story. “It’s the closest thing I’ve ever had to a journal or diary,” explained Sutherland, “all of these songs are pulled from my own personal experiences.”

Being a native Texan, I’m happy to report there really is a Red Dirt Country feel to these tunes. You hear honesty in the lyrics, the songs have emotion, and you don’t so much feel that Sutherland is merely acting out these songs but rather has in fact actually lived them. “Can’t Stay Away”, “Not Enough Whiskey” and “Down in a Hole” are all particular highlights on an album that, from start to finish, is well worth the listen.

Down in a Hole Track Listing:

01. Can’t Stay Away
02. Truth in Your Eyes
03. I’ll Do Anything
04. Not Enough Whiskey
05. Going Home
06. Calling Out Your Name
07. My Best Friend
08. Shirley Jean
09. All She Wrote
10. Down in a Hole
11. Gonna Die

Run Time: 42:49
Release Date: June 16, 2016

Check out the song “Can’t Stay Away