It took 41 years of Mike Goldstein composing, arranging and performing in Jersey band after Jersey band but when the Ocean Grove resident became Part Time Baby in 2023 to record his Only The Ocean solo debut, the ideas flowed. Last year’s Came From a Woman continued the musical search for himself with themes of middle age, love, creativity and identity. Now comes My Island, 11 songs of instant classic rock, folk-rock and Americana. This time around, the themes are memory, faith, independence and the passage of time.
Goldstein recently reached out to The Jersey Sound to say, “Making My Island reminded me why I fell in love with making music in the first place. I think as you get older, you start looking at things a little differently — time, memories, the people and experiences that shape you. A lot of that found its way into these songs. I made the entire record myself, playing every instrument, singing every part, and following wherever the music took me. I loved that creative freedom. And I think there's something interesting about that — you can spend all this time alone making music, but ultimately you're trying to connect with other people. That's really what it's all about.”