J.P. Edwards – Hearticulate
J.P. Edwards – Hearticulate – EP Review
J.P. Edwards…dude…I’ll assume I’ve gotta say this with a little caution given that you’re based in the man’s-man state of Texas…but you’ve definitely caught my heart right up in this new EP of yours. I’ve been extremely lucky throughout September and already again in October – some of the best sounds of the year we’re finding right here towards the end of it in the final quarter. No exception here on J.P. Edwards new EP, Hearticulate, today…this is pretty much everything I ever want to hear within four beautiful melodies and songs…this music is fabulous, stunning, sincere, tender, delicate. At times, J.P. sounds so fragile that I worry he’ll break apart completely one day…I just want to put him in a glass cage of protection in the sanctuary of the studio here and have him play for me all the time – that’s not wrong is it?
The impact, skill and heart are immediately put out there, right in front as the EP begins with “World Tour.” I fell in love with this opening tune about thirteen seconds in I’d say? THIS line is beautiful: “And I don’t really care if I ever have a fan-base miles high, cause my number-one fan is all-ears” – and it’s not just the lyrics themselves, but the way that J.P. puts an incredible raw-emotion and energy into the words through his performance. Honestly…it’s astounding – his instincts are going to lead him nowhere but up if this is the caliber of writing we can expect from Edwards and the bar he’s set in this opening track “World Tour.” Amazingly inviting, warm and exceptionally well-written – this is exactly how you want people to experience your music for the very first time.
Somehow…and I don’t know what super-power gave him the ability to do this…somehow J.P. Edwards manages to find a way to increase the level of beauty upon this Hearticulate EP with the following tune “Drop Everything.” I’m thinking…MAYBE…I might have been a little worried from the very first line in the song sounding a little shakier than the rest…and after that point, I loved absolutely everything about this tender melody afterwards. Beautiful combination of male & female vocals that lead the way through the gentle-nature, sentiment & intention that drives “Drop Everything” – this would be a very tough enough song to sing at all let alone sing it as sincerely as these two pull it all off together.
“Stargazing” does a lot to confirm the versatility within the music of Edwards as he jazzes this tune up a little more than the rest. Starting with gentle-acoustic rhythms & a reverb-laden lead, the intro breaks way to a dynamic set of vocals from J.P. in the verse before the chorus audibly explodes into the most fully-expanded idea on the EP so far. It is HUGE, to say the least – “Stargazing” is definitely proof-positive of his ability to create unique atmospheres in his music from track-to-track, and completely showcases his range vocally as he begins to switch the energy once again around two-and-a-half minutes in. J.P. sings this one beautifully into the breakdown and comes back with complete confidence for the final run-through on the chorus in a fireball of a performance. Ending on the sweet & sincere, pensive-side of the music & lyrics…”Stargazing” even ends perfectly…J.P. Edwards can’t seem to make a mistake of any kind – he IS human right?
You might think I’m trying to be funny – but as the final tune “Ties” starts out in yet another direction of perfection, you might just wonder yourself about whether or not J.P. was assembled Frankenstein-style out of all the parts of human-beings that write amazing songs and a few bolts and stiches here & there. What will make certain that you KNOW beyond a shadow of a doubt that he’s NOT a robot despite these perfect four songs on the Hearticulate EP, is the amount of genuine sincerity, humanity and passion that J.P. puts into a song like “Ties.” His instincts for emotion can’t be confused for anything other than the audible-evidence that this man really FEELS these songs – and the resulting sound on this EP is astoundingly authentic, genuine and beautiful. Wonderful job from J.P. Edwards and anyone else that might have had a hand in this EP from production to performance – Hearticulate is a perfect set of four gorgeous melodies and innovative ideas.
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