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For those closet folk-pop fans out there, Jon Troast has provided
a painless way to come out and admit that yes, you love that sweet
acoustic goodness. The fusion of numerous genres allows the artist
to appeal to a wide audience while still maintaining his roots in
folk-pop. Jon manages to bring witty lyrics and sincere melodies to
the table while not giving in to the artistic tendency to create 'experimental'
music which requires a music degree to understand its 'complexity'.
Jon is based out of Williams Bay, Wisconsin and is accompanied by
a highly talented group of musicians. The instrumental menagerie includes
the standard drums, bass, guitar and vocals, but the mandolin, banjo,
horns and piano bring a rounded feel to the tracks, which is uncommon
in most albums these days. Jon's vocals tend to sound very much like
the airy vocals of John Ondrasik of Five For Fighting
or a toned down James Blunt, and his styles are similar to
a modern James Taylor.
The tracks on the album provide such a refreshing diversity that
I could hardly stop listening. Each track seems to tell a story, both
musically and lyrically, which is quite evident in the opening track,
"Everything Not Her". The song speaks of falling in love
with the emotion of someone who has experienced just that ("The
closer she gets, the more I forget / about everything that's not her").
The country influences shine through on "You're That Way",
with the very appropriate mandolin and banjo strumming similar to
some of Keith Urban's music. "Dish And The Spoon"
does a complete 180 by bringing out blues themes to fairy tale-like
lyrics with metaphorical implications. One of the crowning achievements
of this album is the hauntingly beautiful ballad "Mary Jane"
which speaks of lost love and regret with a calm, dignified piano
carrying the emotion of the song to the listener.
So, based on a complete stranger's opinion, you should definitely
check this guy out. I have no doubt that Jon Troast will not leave
you disappointed, and let's face it, you were going to spend that
cash on cheetos and porn anyway.
-Liger Woods
Track Listing:
1. Everything Not Her
2. The Most
3. Knock Down
4. Was It Ever Really Mine
5. You're That Way
6. Dish And Spoon
7. Better Love
8. Hurt Me Like A Good Friend
9. Mary Jane
10. Family
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Jon
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