“Just an Old Guy” - Ian Rae
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
There’s a beautiful kind of honesty that comes from a lifetime of making music, and Just an Old Guy captures that spirit in full — reflective, warm, and quietly profound. Across eight tracks, this new album from the ever-creative Ian Rae (a musician with 16 albums, an EP, and 10 singles already under his belt) feels like a gentle conversation between memory and melody. It’s not an album that shouts for attention — it sits with you, patiently, offering stories through sound.
From the opening notes of the title track “Just an Old Guy”, you can hear the lived-in wisdom of someone who has spent decades learning what really matters in both music and life. Inspired by the timeless sentiment of Mr. Bojangles, this instrumental glows with the same tender nostalgia. You can almost see the old man at the piano, playing for whoever will listen — not for applause, but for connection. And while he jokes that many think it’s autobiographical (with over 100 million TikTok and Instagram views for his comedic musical posts, it’s not hard to imagine!), there’s a genuine sweetness that makes it resonate beyond biography.
“Then It Carries On” reaches back 20 years to a forgotten musical, yet it feels completely at home here. Its melody drifts effortlessly, proof that some tunes are timeless — they just wait for the right moment to re-emerge. There’s a sense of rediscovery, as though the artist is finding old pieces of himself hidden in his own archives.
One of the standout moments is “A Night on Mount Koya.” Inspired by a stay in a Buddhist temple on the sacred Japanese mountain, it channels the contemplative atmosphere of Ryuichi Sakamoto’s Merry Christmas Mr. Lawrence. It’s serene but never static — the notes shimmer with quiet reverence, creating a cinematic soundscape that invites stillness and reflection. It’s one of those rare tracks that makes silence feel like part of the composition.
Then comes “The Autism Leaves”, perhaps the album’s emotional center. Having only recently discovered his own autism at the age of 78, the artist describes how writing music has always been a form of self-regulation. That revelation adds remarkable depth to the track — it’s delicate, searching, and profoundly human. The connection with his neurodivergent followers gives the song a sense of shared empathy; it’s music as understanding, not escape.
Elsewhere, “Even Dreams Must Die” drifts through melancholy piano passages with no grand narrative — and none needed. Its title says enough. “When the Music Goes Round in Your Head” lightens the tone with a playful jazz energy, a nod to Take Five, offering relief through rhythm. You can feel the musician’s decades of experience here — it’s nimble and clever, yet never overdone.
Photo Credit: Artist EPK
“Beginning”, was written over 53 years ago for the moment his wife walked down the aisle. Now, more than half a century later, it’s reimagined as a soft musical keepsake — both an ending and a beginning, full of love, gratitude, and quiet triumph.
Just an Old Guy isn’t an album trying to chase trends or make noise. It’s a work of grace — of craft honed by years, but unspoiled by ego. Each track is a small window into a life lived through sound, and the result is something deeply human: reflective, funny, a bit sentimental, and always sincere.
Gentle, wise, and achingly beautiful, Just an Old Guy is the sound of an artist fully at peace with his craft — still curious, still creating, still listening. It’s not just an album title; it’s a quiet celebration of persistence, passion, and the art of never stopping.
“Just an Old Guy” is available now on all major streaming platforms
