Closing out his third album with its title track, Canadian songwriter Mogipbob delivers a warm, soulful reflection on identity and the pressure to be someone other than yourself. Based in northern Alberta, Mogipbob has built Anything but Me around an adventurous mix of country-soul, folk-rock, blues, funk and retro-soul, letting each song find its own musical direction rather than sticking to a single formula. Across its 16 tracks, the album jumps between quirky characters, oddball situations and more personal observations, balancing dry humour with moments of genuine introspection.
The final track brings things to a gentler, more contemplative place. Its immersive, relaxing arrangement rolls along on a steady, thumping beat, while soulful harmonies breathe and wail in the background, adding a lovely sense of depth. Over this warm musical backdrop, the singer sings with a tender, thick, and heartfelt voice, delivering each line gently and lovingly. There’s an understated sincerity to his performance that makes the song feel less like a grand statement and more like an honest conversation.
At its heart, the song pushes back against the expectation to change just to make other people comfortable. When others tell him to be different, he wonders why he should be anything but himself when those same people never really took the time to see him.
As the album’s closing statement, “Anything but Me” neatly gathers together its wider reflections on memory, change and individuality. After all the record’s playful detours, Mogipbob leaves us with something sincere and reassuring: there’s nothing wrong with being yourself.
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Review by: Naomi Joan