J Holmes – BALLADS
J Holmes – BALLADS – EP Review
Ohhhhhhhh dear…I think this one’s gonna be one heck of a mixed bag.
Love the melodic progression you hear right from the start on “Tiger Valley” as it begins. It’s simple…not overtly complex or complicated…maybe ‘natural’ is a better way to put it. It makes for an enticing enough start to the BALLADS EP, even if it’s probably not the kind of beginning that’s gonna blow too many people away. Inviting sounds are different than that, you know what I mean? “Tiger Valley” isn’t the kind of song that’s gonna punch you in the face to get your attention…it’s the kind of cut that’s got a sweet sound to it that’s gonna draw people in to listen more out of curiosity. Much the same becomes true of this EP as it continues to play on…if anything, “Tiger Valley” is a fairly accurate representation of what you’re in-store for in this six-song set-list. I don’t mind it…but I don’t know that I’m hearing the full scope of what I know J’s so gifted at creating. “Tiger Valley” isn’t quite like hearing the guy at half strength, but it does seem like it’s missing a bit of the usual inspiration we find in the dude’s material. As for the crack in the guy’s voice towards the end of this opening song…I dunno man…I’m all for making stylistic choices, but I didn’t feel like this one worked in his favor I suppose. The rest of it ain’t off the mark, but it’s much tougher to say whether or not listeners will be rushing back to this for a second spin.
“Born Stiff” livens things up just enough to give it a bit more spark than we just experienced with “Tiger Valley,” and at the core of it, you’ll find a pretty cool riff that pumps the heartbeat in this song. The way that J shifts in between the verse and chorus of this track is straight up wonderful…he’s got a magic that’s all his own in moments like these. I’ll admit, I always want a few more of’em in many of the songs he creates…he’s got a tendency to write tunes where you can’t help but have a favorite piece, or a part of’em, as opposed to loving the entire song as a whole. Like…we’ve gotta balance the impressive magic of a moment like where J sings “from the sea to the shore/from the doorway to the floor” that sounds so undeniably special, with a more…well…stiff and static style of chorus that draws purely on repetition in “Born Stiff” – and it just feels like it deserves a bit more than that, you know? I have these moments with J’s music where, as much as I’d be the first to tell you I love it, he seems to click into these gears where he feels like he’s got that one special part in his material, and that two would be too much. I can assure you, it wouldn’t be…it would be literally twice as strong, and leave critics like myself with little to nothing to complain about. I think the level of J’s performance already gets raised significantly here in this second track, and I’m happy to report that. It’s again, very natural…to the point where I’d almost be surprised if J himself doesn’t feel like he could fall out of bed & hit five songs like this on the way down.
I really love the piano in the music of “All Night & Day” as it begins…this is the kind of song that feels like it’s going to reveal that side of Holmes we love most, where everything clicks into place all at once, not just a piece or two. If you’re a fan of bands like The National, you’d dig something like this for sure. I don’t know that I ended up feeling like J’s vocals were too much of a factor in this particular track if I’m being honest with ya…I don’t mind them or the way that he fits into this track…don’t mind the backing vocals either…but I don’t think anything happening on the mic is capable of rivaling the allure of what we hear in the music on “All Night & Day.” Is that just the way I’m hearing it? Are you hearing it in the same way I am? Nothing wrong with that at the end of the day…it’s still something he’s created and I think any artist is ultimately stoked on when even a fragment of their material connects…and sometimes the music is gonna stand out more than what happens on the microphone…that’s just the nature of the game. I’m big on making sure that everything you do adds something to the song…and equally just as much of a believer that if you can’t be sure something’s adding, then it’s likely taking something away. One of the toughest things to do as a singer/songwriter is recognize when something might be stronger without your voice, and rightly so. Singing and songwriting is what you do…and it can feel really damn bizarre to take your voice outta the equation, right? From my perspective though, you just gotta do right by the song and what it’s calling out for. Like I said, I don’t mind what’s happening in the vocals here, but at the same time, I don’t think I can advocate on behalf of it being strong enough to warrant the inclusion…to me, I listen to “All Night & Day” and think it would have absolutely been stronger as an instrumental tune. The music is borderline perfect as perfect can be. The vocals are well sung, but it’s a bit on the thin side when it comes to the strength of the hooks and the melody you’ll hear. I’m a greedy bitch…I’ve never tried to have anyone believe otherwise. I know J is capable of more, and so that’s what I want! If that makes me the bad guy, then so be it. I just offer an honest reflection about what I hear.
“In My Town” has me wondering a bit about whether or not J’s moving too quickly. I mean, this dude makes a LOT of music between what he’s doing solo now, and what he does with his band FVRMN – and it’s hard to say if that speed isn’t working a little bit against him at this point. I like the atmosphere he gets into “In My Town” and the outstanding clarity in the song overall…but it’s a lot harder to assess whether or not there’s enough of a song here to warrant it’s release…and my concern is that a lot of this EP feels that way in the same sense you’d feel about a record filled with B-sides. Even here on “In My Town,” which I’d probably tell you is my favorite in the set-list so far, I still can’t help but wonder if J’s sacrificing a little bit of quality for quantity. As consumers, we want to hear that “raison d’etre,” you feel me? Right now, in listening to BALLADS, I feel like I’m hearing songs J can make as opposed to songs that needed to be written & recorded…that make sense? It’s true that I’d happily sit and listen to a record filled with B-sides from Holmes more than I would A-sides of most artists & bands out there – but that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t still want to hear a bit more passion, purpose, and intent overall. Anyhow. I think for vocals, mood, atmosphere, musicianship, and production – “In My Town” is a seriously strong song without a doubt, but I don’t know if it’s got enough of the kind of hooks that would makes this as memorable as he might want this one to be. This is close though…I feel like “In My Town” is at the very least a song that I’d want to revisit again for another spin, and that with continued listening, it’d grow on me even more than it has after several spins through the BALLADS EP. Sometimes it’s not always about hooks & such…”In My Town” is much more of a feeling and a vibe…a mood and a demeanor…I love the bridge…J Holmes is nearly giving you a J Mascis style of performance when it comes to his vocals, which I’m more than cool with. There are a decent amount of positives in this particular track. I don’t know what the masses would think about it, or even his longstanding fans…but I’m willing to vouch for this song and say that it did indeed end up being my favorite track on the EP when it comes right down to it.
“Drifter On The Nile” has an easygoing rhythm to it that I’m sure won’t have too much trouble making a connection to the listening ears out there. Lyrically, it’s a standout piece…very J Holmes if you’re familiar with the man’s writing style. Performance-wise, I think he does a solid job and gets a lot of mileage out of his thoughtful low-end drawl & melody combined. I still have major questions about whether or not he’s got enough of a song here though…and at five songs deep into a six song set-list, I think this should probably concern him at least as much as me, if not a whole lot more. Of all the songs on this recording, “Drifter On The Nile” is probably the most accessible, but also the most typical at the same time…and maybe that’s what’s buggin’ me here…I’m not sure that I can say with confidence that J has challenged himself all that much as an artist with this particular lineup of songs. Again, not every record is going to be about that either…sometimes you just wanna do what you do, and there’s no reason at all as to why you shouldn’t be able to do exactly that if you feel like it. Every third line in the verses of “Drifter On The Nile,” J gives you a quick hit of that gruff melodic magic he’s so damn good at creating…I know I want more of it, but sometimes you gotta take what you can get. Sometimes an EP or an album ain’t actually FOR mass consumption, so much as they’re for the artists/bands that create’em – we never really know as listeners on the other side of the speakers. Ultimately, if J is happy about what he’s created on the BALLADS EP, he’s the only one in the world that really needs to be pleased.
J’s got pieces all throughout these six songs that would make for one real good one. As “Threads” finished off the set…I wouldn’t go as far as to say BALLADS was any kind of let down, but it’s also one of the hardest records I’ve heard from Holmes to pick out what would make it comparable to the best we’ve heard from the guy’s catalog so far. My job, as I’ve always seen it, is to hold artists and bands fully accountable to the standards THEY set – not any kind of expectations I would have. From my perspective, I know J’s got so much more in the tank than he’s put out on this BALLADS EP…and if anything, I’m a bit perplexed as to why he’s rushing things as much as he is if this is the result. I say this with no disrespect whatsoever, only admiration for what I know the man is capable of…BALLADS falls fairly short of the magic we know that Holmes can create, and feels somewhat like it’s filling the space in between more involved releases. I think he’s got a stellar pairing between the lyricism of the verses and the way the vocal melody works…and there’s part of me that feels like “Threads” could go on to be something more than it is. I like the approach…I love the piano again & the distance/hollowness you can hear in each bittersweet note…I still feel like there’s a noticeable imbalance between the strength you’ll find in the verses and how the chorus on this last cut came out…and I have a few nagging doubts that are telling me J’s got another couple run-throughs on this song from the vocal booth to get it perfected. I’d probably be more partial to a rewrite of the chorus than trying to sharpen a note or tone here and there I guess…and to be honest with ya, I think the authenticity you’ll find in the verses of “Threads” really deserves that. Like I’ve been making a case for…it might be time for J to slow things down a little, not in the speed of the songs but in the rate of production, and focus hard on getting each part of every track he creates to possess that audible magic that makes his music outright irresistible when at its best.
Find music by J Holmes at Apple Music here: https://music.apple.com/ca/artist/j-holmes/1762772481
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