I always approach solo CDs by studio musicians with trepidation. Often, the artist's instrumental facility in multiple sounds and styles - his very professionalism, in other words - leads to recordings that sound slick and "perfect" but lack soul. Jason Sinay's new CD is, unfortunately, a good example of this problem. The opening bars of "Down To You" sound clean and fabulous and lead one to expect something Tom Petty-inspired. And that's just what the song is - almost tribute-close to Petty's singing and songwriting. It's the best song on the CD, but just a touch removed from that elusive but real animal, authenticity. And though it has a good verse, it could use a slightly stronger chorus.
With a truly good song, it doesn't matter whose licks or mannerisms or melodic style are copied, because a good song is a good song no matter what. "Down To You" comes close to that level and holds a lot of promise, but the rest of the album is a let-down. "The Only Son" follows the same pattern but falls a couple of steps short of true inspiration. For "This Is All" Sinay (who also produces, in addition to handling vocals and guitars) tries a Jeff Lynne sound, but the song sounds generic. "Drama Queen" is a heartland rocker that has some potential but is spoiled by awkward lyrics:
Drama Queen wears the crown of the baby kingKept the mother of his kids locked up in a guillotine
Locked up in a guillotine?
It's hard to go wrong with a J. J. Cale song, but Sinay manages to make "I'll Make Love To You Anytime" sound stodgy and mechanical. (See Eric Clapton's stoner version or Cale's gruff original for the song's intended spirit.) His take on the Grateful Dead's "Scarlet Begonias" is a lot better; he and his expert band seem energized and loosened up by the Garcia-Hunter tune. But "Sunlight Through the Rain" is an uninspired ballad that sounds like it's trying, without much success, to be Petty's "Wildflowers" or the Dire Straits chestnut "Why Worry Now?" The chunky riff-rocker "Chicken Girl" is a fun tune that sounds a bit like a highly polished Mountain. But "Chico," a cliched tale of the evils of the record industry, just doesn't convince. (To be fair, not even Petty's attempt at this was entirely successful.)
Article comments
1 - cainnine
Hmmmmm... don't really know where to start.
I do know nobodys gonna buy it for the cover. Who the hell's idea was that? Unbelievable!!! Musically though, if you can ignore the cover, touch the CD, pick it up and open it, there's some very good music inside.
After opening it just throw the cover and booklet away. There's nothing there to remember. It'll sound so much better with that stupid cover in the trash. Just put the CD in a white paper sleeve then you can imanage this really great rock band playing very good music instead of some male model. He's not but you'd never know it by that sick cover. Please enjoy the music. It's very good. Then put the CD back in the white cover till next time or just leave it in your CD player to enjoy over and over.
2 - cecilia edonogh
In a day where most music is reliant on computers, auto tuners, and pro tools, this cd is the real thing. Real music, excellent musicianship, great songs. Even if it's not your taste in music, there's no denying the fact that this is true talent. Doesn't that matter at all anymore? Does the cd cover really matter? Regardless of the comparison to Tom Petty, how lucky we would be to have someone that good again among all the pretty pop stars and all the talentless rock n' roll wannabes. It's not supposed to be compared to Tom Petty or Eric Clapton...compare it to today's music, and it's a whole other thing.
3 - Jon Sobel
Cecelia, of course talent counts, but the musicians who play on a Madonna CD are talented too, that doesn't make it good music. I found this CD lacking - and this is only my personal, subjective opinion - in the two things most important to me: songwriting, and heart. My review wasn't about talent per se - in fact, I was very clear about the top-notch quality of the musicianship.