Bill Curreri’s “Son of an American Dream” is not just a creative title or a catchy tune; it’s the story of his life.  The album draws from his life experiences and family stories to create a truly one of a kind masterpiece. “Son of an American Dream” tells many stories, including stories of Curreri’s family, his childhood and experiences with love and heartache.

Curreri describes his album as “homage” to his family and their struggles, which he details in the title track “Son of an American Dream”. In “Captain Jack”, he waxes nostalgic about the host of a children’s show. You can hear the sadness in his voice as he says “the morning’s now a different place. That child-like look has left our face. And in its place there is no Captain Jack…” It’s almost as though he’s mourning the loss of innocence and wistfully thinking of better and happier times.

While Curreri sings about his family and childhood hero, he also describes love and heartache in “With Lydia”, “To See You Again”, “Hold on To Your Heart” and “She’s Still Got a Hold on Me”. “To See You Again”, Hold on To Your Heart” and “She’s Still Got a Hold on Me” are the stories of a man who has had his heart broken and the difficulty he has in moving on. On the other hand, “With Lydia” is not a story of a broken heart, but the love of his life. Curreri describes the titular love interest as “a long-term girl in a short-term world with a smile that tells all she’s your girl… and she’s always there to show how much she cares, and there’s never any maybes…”, which gives his fans the impression that unlike the lost loves in the previous songs, Lydia is one who has captured his heart and is here to stay.

Many musicians have said that their albums or singles were based on personal experiences or people they knew. That is especially true for Bill Curreri. He tells the story of his life to the audience without sugar coating it. This makes his story genuine and honest and appealing to fans of all ages.

For more information visit www.billcurreri.com

Final Grade: A+

About The Author

Lauren Beverly

Music Reviewer

I love to write and have been doing so since the age of eight. Fictional stories have always been a favorite of mine, because it gives me a chance to be creative and to express myself in a multitude of ways. On more than one occasion, a song proved to be the inspiration to several stories I have written. Believe it or not, some of those songs were on soundtracks! That’s mostly what I listen to, aside from hits from the 1950’s up to the 1980’s. I’ve learned that anything can be the inspiration to a story, even a poster from the 1990’s or a DVD cover.

I’ve lived in Upper Marlboro all of my life and spent much of my childhood watching cartoons of all kinds, and listening to my older sister’s cassette tapes. Growing up, I listened to everything Jackson related, Paula Abdul, Elton John, and even the controversial group Milli Vanilli. As a teenager, I continued to listen to old-school hits and that was pretty much all I liked, aside from listening to all of Michael Jackson’s music. To this day, I still love old-school hits. That hasn’t changed.

I own a variety of CDs from artists such as Styx, The BeeGees, Michael Jackson, Queen, The Yellow Submarine Soundtrack, and many others. When a soundtrack comes out, there will always be one specific song from that album that I’ll love. It never fails.

I’ve graduated from Bowie State University in December 2013 with a B.A. degree in English.

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