Mason Jennings – In The Ever Review
In The Ever is Hawaii-born Mason Jennings’ first attempt with Jack Johnson’s Brushfire Records. Like Johnson, Jennings is first and foremost a lyricist, backing his verses with simple musical support. Jennings’ usual acoustic-driven songwriting is fully active on this album, ranging from slow, thoughtful ballads to quirky raffi-esque tunes.
The album starts well enough with ‘Never Knew Your Name’. Bouncy piano chords and snare-heavy jazz drumbeats carry this lighthearted love song as Jennings proclaims “I’ve been loving you forever, but I never knew your name.” ‘Something About Your Love’ continues with the theme of (you guessed it) love. This time, it’s a little slower, and the piano is replaced with an acoustic guitar. It’s definitely a song that requires a certain mood to enjoy, so you may not like it on the first, second, or even tenth listen.
The next track, ‘I Love You And Buddha Too’ is one of the most enjoyable but least poignant songs on the album. It’s message about the many ways to find God is solid enough, but instead of the usual poetic, pensive lyrics, it sounds like something straight off a children’s disc. I’m sure this is annoying to fans of Jennings’ lyricism, but to me, it felt like a welcome digression from the brooding nature of the rest of the cd.
Besides that one anomaly, the rest of the songs on the album are all what you would expect from Jennings. A few of my favorites are ‘Fighter Girl’ (the first single), ‘Your New Man’, and ‘Soldier Boy’. Mr problem with acoustic songwriters like Jack Johnson and Mason Jennings is that I get bored of them really quickly. Jennings at least changes his instrumentation and tempo constantly, so for the most part his songs sound fresh at first listen. After a few spins, however, the songs all seem to seep together into an unintelligible mush of minor chords and snare drums.
Generally, I like the album. Most of the tracks aren’t extremely memorable, but I really enjoy the few that are. You can learn more about Jennings (and his upcoming cd, Blood of Man) at his website or his myspace.
Mason Jennings – Never Knew Your Name
Mason Jennings – I Love You And Buddha Too
Mason Jennings – Fighter Girl
Tags: album
