EVAN AND JARON - Self Titled

                                              
                                                                  Columbia/US
 

The second major-label cd from these talented brothers from Atlanta shows polish and maturity, puts me in mind of Semisonic's second album and seems to encompass a similar approach; nice, well-written songs, impeccable production, great harmonies and instrumentation.  I must say that it appeals to my tastes in a big way and I haven't played an album this much since I picked up Jump, Little Children's 'Magazine'.  Opening song, 'Outerspace', is a vibrant starter and their (compulsory?) ode to materialistic L.A.  The first single, 'Crazy For This Girl' is a strong, almost classic piece of modern powerpop, which should do well in the charts due to its widely likeable style and standard love song theme.  'Done Hangin' On Maybe' is one of the best demonstrations of their stunning harmony style, described here by Evan "...we will try to sing two different melodies over the same part..."  This has resulted in a sophisticated harmony style that gets away from the usual arrangement where the harmony 'follows' the melody rather than having an identity of its own.  Evan and Jaron Lowenstein have distinctly different voices which complement each other as well as long association and experience allow and they tend to sing the main vocal on their own songs, which to me tends to add extra credence to the words. I enjoyed this album all the way through, a rare treat, which includes guest contributions by Mick Fleetwood, Dan Wilson (Semisonics) and John Medeski (Medeski, Martin and Wood).  An excellent and consistent album, my only criticism might be to wish that they might extend themselves a bit laterally, meaning that I suspect that their record company may have weeded out anything 'different' from the general flow of the album as they see it. Recommended for fans of well-played, accessible music with great harmonies and credible lyrics.  I love it.
NICK TAYLOR   (8)
 

Triple-A radio friendly brother duo Evan and Jaron Lowenstein are true pros and work with lots of true pros on their 4th LP.  T Bone Burnett sits in the executive producer's chair (probably a comfortable leather number), Dave Tickle (Split Enz, Graham Parker) produces a track, Tom Lord-Alge is called in to mix a track - not a bad group to be associated with.  Despite these connections, the final product is the musical equivalent of instant mashed potatoes - it tastes O.K., it seems like the real thing, but it's missing something.  The promising "Outerspace" comes off like a less guitar oriented Gin Blossoms and builds momentum in the disc's best chorus.  "Ready Or Not" then follows, with a Matthew Sweet-lite motif. Then the wheels begin coming off.  "Crazy For You" kicks in with the Bryan Adams guitars and sounds like the theme from a mediocre Sandra Bullock romantic comedy.  The album continues on a fairly generic path, as sweeping, bland melodies dominate - in spots, this could be a John Waite comeback effort.  The duo deserves props for the varied instrumentation and full arrangements, but in the end, the perspiration is more evident than the inspiration.
MIKE BENNETT (3)
 
 
 
 

Evan and Jaron's website: www.evanandjaron.com
Columbia records: www.columbiarecords.com
 
 

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