I Am the Portuguese Blues
| I Am the Portuguese Blues | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | February 24, 2004[1] | |||
| Studio | The Black Hand[2] | |||
| Genres | ||||
| Length | 27:25 | |||
| Label | Tooth & Nail | |||
| Producer | Starflyer 59[2] | |||
| Starflyer 59 chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Starflyer 59 studio albums chronology | ||||
| ||||
| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |    [3] |
| Christianity Today | [4] |
| Cross Rhythms |   [5] |
| Jesusfreakhideout.com | [1] |
| Punknews.org | [6] |
I Am the Portuguese Blues is the eighth studio album by alternative rock band Starflyer 59. It was released on February 24, 2004 by Tooth & Nail Records.
With this album, the band returned to its past in multiple ways. The band's earlier albums had been characterized by loud guitars, but later albums saw the band progress to a softer sound, incorporating keyboards. I Am the Portuguese Blues saw the return of the sound from earlier albums, as the band was stripped just to Jeff Cloud on bass, Frank Lenz on drums, and Jason Martin, the only person to perform on all of Starflyer 59's albums, handling guitar and vocal duties. In addition, the album has a monochromatic cover, similar to those of Starflyer 59's first three albums (Silver, Gold, and Americana).
All songs except "Wake Up Early" and "Worth of Labor" were originally developed as demos intended for a follow-up to Americana.[7] The post-Americana demos were eventually shelved, as the band decided to take a different musical direction for The Fashion Focus. The demos were refined and combined with the two new songs for I Am the Portuguese Blues. With regard to the album title, band frontman Jason Martin mentioned,
I thought the title was odd. There are a couple of proper blues riffs‚ on there, but mainly it is just a rock and roll album – no tricks no gimmicks.... And, oh yeah, I'm Portuguese.[8]
Track listing
All songs written by Jason Martin.[2]
| No. | Title | Length |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Wake Up Early" | 2:53 |
| 2. | "Unlucky" | 2:11 |
| 3. | "Teens in Love" | 2:53 |
| 4. | "The Big Idea" | 2:53 |
| 5. | "Worth of Labor" | 2:48 |
| 6. | "Not Funny" | 2:34 |
| 7. | "Sound on Sound" | 2:34 |
| 8. | "Destiny" | 2:24 |
| 9. | "No Revolution" | 3:33 |
| 10. | "I Need Some Help" | 2:42 |
| Total length: | 27:25 | |
Personnel
Credits are adapted from the album's liner notes.[2]
Starflyer 59
- Jason Martin – guitar, vocals
- Jeff Cloud – bass guitar
- Frank Lenz – drums
Production
- Jason Martin – recording (at The Black Hand)
- Aaron Sprinkle (Compound Recording, Seattle, WA) – mixing
- Troy Glessner (Spectre Studio, Seattle, WA) – mastering
Artwork
- Jason Martin – art direction
- Kris McCaddon – art direction, design
Management
- Brandon Ebel – executive producer
- Roy Culver – A&R
References
- 1 2 Wier, Brett (February 27, 2004). "Starflyer 59, 'I Am the Portuguese Blues' Review". Jesusfreakhideout.com. Archived from the original on December 26, 2025. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
- 1 2 3 4 I Am the Portuguese Blues (CD liner notes). Starflyer 59. Tooth & Nail Records. 2004. TND94252.
- 1 2 3 4 "I Am the Portuguese Blues – Starflyer 59". AllMusic. Archived from the original on December 26, 2025. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
- ↑ Argyrakis, Andy. "I Am the Portuguese Blues – Starflyer 59". Christianity Today. Archived from the original on February 28, 2004. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
- ↑ Scott, Steve (December 1, 2004). "Review: I Am the Portuguese Blues". Cross Rhythms. Archived from the original on December 26, 2025. Retrieved December 26, 2025.
- ↑ Raub, Jesse (March 16, 2004). "Starflyer 59 - I Am the Portuguese Blues". Punknews.org. Archived from the original on October 4, 2025. Retrieved October 4, 2025.
- ↑ Wiitala, Christopher (March–April 2005). "Starflyer 59". HM Magazine. No. 112. pp. 59–61.
- ↑ "I Am the Portuguese Blues press kit". Archived from the original on July 29, 2020. Retrieved July 28, 2020.
- ↑ "I Am the Portuguese Blues". Apple Music. Archived from the original on May 30, 2026. Retrieved May 30, 2026.