Jamie Kent - All American Mutt
The third album from Jamie Kent, All
American Mutt, signals a new peak in Kent’s short career thus far. He has
hacked out quite a trail for himself since his 2009 debut with the release
Neoteny and the latest studio platter amply illustrates his development as a
performer and songwriter. Kent has distilled his passions and aims down to
their purest essence and possesses an unique style that spans virtually the
entirety of American music instead of confining himself to some narrow artistic
corner of the genre. Rock, country, funk, blues, and folk exist side by side
here in often various permutations. David Brainard, a respected Grammy
nominated producer, mans the boards for Kent and helps stage these songs in the
best possible sonic light. Only one song out of the ten is not written by Kent
alone.
Such all encompassing efforts make for
singular releases. “All American Mutt” is a bit of a cataloging song, but it
chooses a varied target and basically turns this track in a sweeping melodic assessment
of his own place in American life. Kent’s singing has a relaxed confidence you
can discern from the first line and sometimes it seems like someone grinning
from ear to ear, reveling a little in his own facility with the language and
music. “Look Up” is the exact opposite as a composition. The opener never
sounds cluttered, but this first ballad never risks cluttering for a single
second of its duration. The song is able to breathe free and easy and it gives
room for Kent’s voice to move around. His emotive skills are outstanding but
never overdramatize the lyrical situation. He paints things with a broader
brush on the unabashedly commercial “Last Call”, but it never gets painfully
obvious. Following it with “Home Again” is a surprising move. The arrangement
is pure yearning honkytonk that never lays possible affectations on too thick
and emphasizes its melody.
Fiddle, banjo, and mandolin form an
unlikely instrumental trio to get “Be Your Man” over with the listeners thanks
to its colorful and quirky sonic charm. Listeners will be able to hear the
genuine relish that Kent takes in singing this song. The folk-influenced
singer/songwriter balladry of “Safe” can scarcely be better conceived. The
precise and often quite lyrical acoustic guitar matches itself up nicely against
Kent’s voice and the spaciousness of the musical arrangement gives it a nicely
dramatic quality. “Red Rover”, however, is the album’s best ballad. It proceeds
slowly and with great patient while vocalists Kent and Michaela Anne focus on
their phrasing with such success that their aesthetic beauty of their voices is
easily a secondary concern. There’s a last jolt for listeners buried deep in
the track list with “Sheila”. Huey Lewis and his horn section from backing band
The News team up with Kent to unleash their gleeful ode to a bad news
heartbreaker. It isn’t anything older music fans haven’t heard before, but Kent
and his partners on the song pull it off with great panache. There’s something
for any listener on All American Mutt.
Scott Wigley
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