I Am the Portuguese Blues

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.

ReleasedFebruary 24, 2004^[1]

StudioThe Black Hand^[2]

Genres

• Alternative rock^[3]
• indie rock^[3]
• shoegaze^[3]

Length27:25

Quick facts Studio album by Starflyer 59, Released ...

I Am the Portuguese Blues
Studio album by Starflyer 59
Released	February 24, 2004[1]
Studio	The Black Hand[2]
Genres	Alternative rock[3] indie rock[3] shoegaze[3]
Length	27:25
Label	Tooth & Nail
Producer	Starflyer 59[2]
Starflyer 59 chronology
Old (2003) I Am the Portuguese Blues (2004) Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice (2005)
Starflyer 59 studio albums chronology
Old (2003) I Am the Portuguese Blues (2004) Talking Voice vs. Singing Voice (2005)

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More information Review scores, Source ...

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[3]
Christianity Today	[4]
Cross Rhythms	[5]
Jesusfreakhideout.com	[1]
Punknews.org	[6]

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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]