Submitted by Don Graham
The debut album by Toronto hip hop/rap artist Boland has been a long time coming but the artist will be here for a long time .
The title of the project ‘Shades’ suits both the album and the artist. The album shows the many “shades” this young poet has observed and documented in his life and “shades” suits for his signature sunglasses.
‘Shades’ is the first complete album project for Boland and it shows the maturity and honesty that is now so evident in his music and his life. I have known Michael Boland since he was a young artist, have watched his development and seen his inherent creative ability blossom. His early love of all things Dylan has served him well. He has taken Dylan’s ability to put into rhyme and rhythm the thoughts of his generation and molded and honed it to make it his own. “I feel like I’m in a good place now and I have to say that sobriety is the key. Since I got sober everything is much clearer and I have the drive to do what I meant to do.”