Jennings’s work is unmistakably folk music, but he demonstrates broad skill and variety within that genre. The song “Soldier Boy” is upbeat and rolling, with full-bodied guitar, driving rhythm and a strong vocal presence. Alternately, “In Your City” starts with a rag-time piano and falls into a comfortable melody that showcases his beautiful vocals.
It isn’t quite accurate to say that Jennings sounds raw, because his performance is quite polished. Rather, there isn’t any mixing done to alter the vocals. His voice is the musical equivalent of a woman who goes without makeup and looks good doing it.
Many of Mason Jennings’s songs have a spiritual theme to them. “I Love You and Buddha Too” is a call for all religions to realize their sameness, saying “Oh Jesus, I love you / And I love Buddha too / Rama Krishna Guru Dev / Dao de Jing and Muhammad,” and follows with “we are all a part of you.”
In The Ever is a relaxed, feeling-good album that declares a spiritual worldview without preaching at you. It has impressive vocals and catchy lyrics, and I am constantly catching myself dancing a little in my chair when I listen to it. Mason Jennings is an artist with a lot of talent, and I’d love to see him gain widespread acclaim. Maybe he’ll do it with this album.
If you can catch a single concert in the next year or so, I highly recommend checking out Mason Jennings as he performs his 2008 album. I’ll be seeing him again when I get the chance.
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