“Hozier” is a self-titled album written by Hozier. “Hozier” is an alternative album published in 2014. This album is full of bluesy guitars, soulful rock n’ roll, gothic drama, understated soul, love ballads, and explosive blues-rock. 

This album can be broken down into smaller categories like blues, soul, R&B, folk, and indie rock. The album reached top ten positions in Ireland, UK, the US, Canada, Australia, Denmark, and Greece shortly after its release. 

Hozier wrote this album after ending his first relationship. He made it as a way to “reflect” on what love meant and to “distract” himself while he “cultivate(s) his ideas” before writing music. He has talked about how the main themes of the album are “finding yourself, accepting yourself, and making sense of yourself.” 

At a performance in Boston, Hozier revealed that “Cherry Wine” was recorded at five in the morning in an old, abandoned hotel. He also revealed that “Take Me to Church” was written in his parents’ living room and recorded in a “makeshift attic studio” in Wicklow. 

There are two editions of “Hozier”, standard and deluxe. The standard version is 13 songs long, while the deluxe edition adds 4 bonus songs, and features Sallay-Matu Garnett. Besides that, the entire album was written by Hozier himself. 

My top two songs on this album are “Jackie and Wilson” and “Cherry Wine”. I like the song “Jackie and Wilson” because, first of all, it’s a tribute to the R&B singer Jackie Wilson. This song also has a more upbeat and faster tempo than the rest of the album. I like the song “Cherry Wine” because the song has a relatively soft vibe and discuss’ serious issues like hardships in a relationship. 

I rate this album a 10/10. I gave it a 10/10 because it’s just a soothing album to listen to. This album helps me focus and is a very good option for background music.