JAMIE KENT
Embers and Ashes
* * * *
The term ‘folk rock’ has been around for so long that we
often forget that there are performers such as Richard Thompson, Ellis Paul,
Stephen Stills, and Ray Lamontagne whose cadences, sensibilities, and musical
souls are such that they rock even when they’ve got an acoustic guitar in their
hands. Add Jamie Kent to that list. We’ve seen him rock out with The Options,
but check out his new solo EP, Embers
& Ashes and you’ll hear a ‘rock folk’ artist at work. The project
features clever turns of phrase such as “I may be broke, but I am not broken,”
and “Don’t like the losing, but I don’t mind getting lost.” Chronicles of
adversity? Not exactly, but Kent does remain true to the EP’s title–all five
songs deal with things unsettled that don’t always comfortably resolve. “Still a Dream” isn’t about busted visions,
rather the inability to match dreams with waking reality, and is sung with
appropriately plaintive vocals. “Bonfire” is about passions that burn so hot
they burst into flame, and comes with crashing cadences and kick-out-the-jams
frantic energy. The content of “Prince of Pain” is self-explanatory and its
arrangement is typical for Kent: start slow, punch it up a notch, and let it
rip.
Rob Weir
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