Debut Album - 'Strengthened Virtues' by LeeJCluskey

So finding the right week and sensing the right atmosphere at times has to be worked with in being honest, when is the right time to release an album or single as a musician. As a versatile career venture continues to take place as the creative trinity, decent progress is continuing to be made on all creative frontiers as an author and scriptwriter as well.

Musically Lee James summarises the album in being concise as possible.

‘I have worked through numerous takes in finding the right projection of music, finding the right vocal sound and tempo of the songs in playing the guitars, I was honest with myself musically, this had to be right, for the songs to be listened to in the best possible way, as a music listener. I have worked with some older recordings as well to remaster them as new recordings. American musician Michael ‘Eddie Michaels’ McQuaid that I have musically worked with has brought out the sound of ‘Rock’n’Roll Soldier’ and ‘As Luck Would Have It’ to a better vocal music dynamic.’ He continues. ‘Referring to the best time to release the next single and album, there just didn’t seem to be that right week, with the Euros’, Olympics and the next football season. Patience is a virtue at times, presence of the album title ‘Strengthened Virtues’ in completing this first album. It is the third album that I have written in my music mind. The first two albums I have written ‘Unforgiven Because’ and ‘Where It All Started’ I think were too in the past. Officially it is the first studio album. '

Lee James concludes the album in saying.

'Any one of the songs could be singles to be honest, so I think there should be a fifth and maybe sixth single in 2025. I have worked with some talented musical people, the album is really well produced. I think music is a team game, even as the soloist it has a presence. For whatever reason, the individual, the soloist goes first in a personal career perspective. Maybe it all ends on stage with The Miners Band as well as the soloist. Album Briefing

Thunderous opener ‘Rock’n’Roll Soldier’ kicks-off the album and undocks ‘Strengthened Virtues' onto the music scene, with a catchy guitar rift accompanied by pacey drum beats and a strong baseline giving the track an instrumental strength. Lyrically the song takes you on an everyday journey about soldiering on musically as well in your mind, not letting the creativity of music leave you. The song has a presence of resilience and does not let you give up on your dreams.

The next song on the album ‘On a Friday Night’ is like a goodbye to an old lifestyle played on an electric acoustic guitar. The sound of making it to the Friday again and maybe going out enjoying yourself. The song projects a freedom in the Friday night that you experience, lyrically this concept is concise and well written. The song takes you from the Friday daytime, through the afternoon, evening and into the Friday night. Whereas with the first track there is a louder vocal approach, this track has a calmer vocal projection.

Third track ‘Mancunian Jesus’ is a contemporary song about faith, seeing the good and the bad, where at the same time it is lyrically captivating and projects how Christianity offers a belief that keeps you sane and in a decent place regarding your own mindset, the song has presence of comedy and has an intelligence of how people are schooled and brought up with a certain faith. The electric acoustic guitar is played to a great standard with how it is written, and sang with a strong vocal sound.

Fourth track ‘You Can Find The Time’ is lyrically about not letting your life pass you by, and not going on to achieve anything in a lost state as you start to age as a person. With this track there is a strong presence of the guitar strings accompanying the song in a string pick style, with the electric acoustic guitar played into a strumming sound on the bridge and chorus of the song. Vocally, a similar approach is projected as with the previous two tracks.

Fifth track ‘In The Heavens’ is a song with a traditional sound, played on a electric acoustic guitar, you can hear the sound of a piano song as well. Again, the vocal approach is a calm but powerful projection regarding the singing. Lyrically you are taken on a journey to finding a nice place, achieving success and the song has its presence of the concept we all have a start and an end as a human being.

Sixth track 'Unlike Some' lyrically takes you on a journey about staying positive and making up your own mind in your life, if it is not always like that and how you perceive everything sometimes. The electric acoustic guitar is played in a strong tone and a sound of the generations can be heard lyrically and acoustically. The chorus projects a lifetimes experience in four lines.

Seventh track 'As Luck Would Have It' like the first track generates that instrumental excitement with another catch guitar rift, pacey drum beats and strong baseline, but at the same time a completely different song with a powerful instrumental presence. Lyrically, the song takes you on a journey with an inspired sound, Manchester's coat of arms is the verses inspiration that leads into the next verse about meeting the right person, male to female, man to woman regarding the singer/songwriter. The concept of needing luck to succeed as well with your partner is something shared by everyone as a human being, wherever you come from.

Eighth track 'Making Your Way Through Life' is an acapella recording completely captivating the human experience of taking part in your life. Lyrically from the singer/songwriters point of view the song is referring to the place, country he is from. Again, the concept of the lyrics can be related to by so many different people from any areas, places and countries.

Ninth track 'So...to Town' is very simply about a enjoying a night out in the summer, whatever the pressures might be in your life, you just go out and have a good time. The song takes you on a night out lyrically with a strong strumming sound, and vocally the song has a nice tone to it.

Tenth track 'You'll Live and Learn' is a song that lyrically projects the concept of finding a better place after experiencing adverse times, and finding inner strength to move on, with the hindsight of experiences. The electric acoustic guitar style is played at the pace of some of the other recordings. Vocally there is a nice sound projected.

Eleventh track 'People Always Come Back' is played on a electric acoustic guitar with the pipe organ keys throughout the song. Lyrically the song takes you on a complete journey of becoming more intelligent after seeing some things for what they are. The tone of the song is well paced and finishes the album well. This song projects that concept of becoming stronger. Again, vocally there is a well paced tone of sound.

Sci-Fi Thriller - 'Anno Domini'

The creative journey continues where a second novel, sci-fi thriller ‘Anno Domini’ as fiction writer L. J. Cluskey has been completed throughout 2024, with a screenplay ready to be networked at the film festivals in 2025. The sci-fi novel is scheduled for release in early 2025 as well. A dedicated journey continues, a resilient quest to complete a destiny continues. The sci-fi novel takes us to the future. The year is A.D. 2469 as humanity prepares for a new space mission into the future. This is where we gain an insight into astronaut pilot Lenard Anderson. He is a British employee of NASA and The Federation of the Cosmos having relocated to the United States. After delivering years of service and gaining experience in completing successful space missions to other planets, solar systems and galaxies, Anderson fulfils his ultimate destiny in being selected as the admiral of Anno Domini. The Earth’s first time ship and mother ship. A human race and its fascination with time travel is about to finally bring this concept to reality via a space mission. It is a mission of twelve selected time cosmonauts scheduled to travel one hundred years into the future from the world they leave in 2469, returning back to Earth in the twenty sixth century on-board time ship Anno Domini in the year 2569. An unexpected fate awaits the crew, As its navigational flight system is assessed the mission appears to have travelled through a mysterious loop hole in space.The questions are, has the mission returned to the Earth they departed from? What Earth could have they returned to if not?

Awards Won

Music victories so far include the Palm Beach International Music Awards - 'Best Lyrics Award' - 'Through These Times I Live' in 2021 and the International Sound Video Awards - 'Honourable Mention Award' - 'Rock'n'Roll Soldier' - Best Low Budget Music Video in 2023. The International Sound Video Awards - 'Official Selection' - Finalist Award - 'You'll Live and Learn' - Best Music Video Lyrics Award also achieved something credible in 2023 as well. It is honest enough to say more success should be achieved after winning the music breakthrough awards. Scriptwriting victories so far include Best British Script – Other Script Genre - at the Filmmakers International Screenwriting Awards in 2017. Best Feature Script – ‘Outstanding Achievement’ award at the Tagore International Film Awards in 2020. The year didn't pass without a victory as well, where surprisingly screenplay 'Stepping Off The Carpathia' by L. J. Cluskey won a fifth anniversary accolade at the Tagore International Film Awards , the winners award was an 'Honorary Award' for the script. In 2021 screenplay 'Stepping Off The Carpathia' was officially recommended for production at by the Academy Oscar Nichol Fellowship department, in 2025 sci-fi screenplay 'Anno Domini' should achieve. So as a 5-time award winner the career momentum can definitely continue into 2025 and beyond, where there is still a lot more to achieve, in hopefully going onto to win some major awards sometime in the future. An entrepreneurial business evolvement continues to make progress, with versatile career management succeeding.

Lee James concludes with great optimism in saying.

'Hopefully the creative quadruple can be achieved at some point winning major awards, I can see it on the horizon, the Academy Oscar Award , The Bafta Award, the Brit Award and the Grammy Award, keep the faith, keep believing!'