Something in the timbre of Jonathan Rice’s voice makes everyone want to compare him to John Mayer. But (thankfully) this is all that they have in common. The base beat of his music, his starting point, is entirely different from Mayer’s. He has more in common with Damien Rice, though there is no relation, but Jonathan says Damien plays to an older crowd. His catch line: “Stick with me. I’ll live longer.”
Tracks like “So Sweet” bring together all the disparate elements Rice culls into one multilayered song. There’s a poppy sing along type of chorus, with a slow and moody start that makes this all the more unexpected but also all the more welcome. He returns to the darker minor notes before the end of the song but doesn’t linger there, he’s just there long enough to ensure that John Mayer fans will seek out something softer. “Break So Easy” is a touchingly melancholy tribute to all things cliché that don’t seem so when sung in Rice’s empathetic voice; things that break (like sensitive indie rocker boys’ hearts) when handled roughly. Often praised for his lyrics, sometimes this is deserved: “Falling in love with the weight of water/ falling in love with the taste of ghost,” as in “Behind the Frontline,” is a love song saying goodbye to a west coast home left behind. Rice’s vocal intonations and tentative melodies could make you homesick for a place you’ve never been. However, the other times when the music can’t save the words from the cliché make you disappointed in Rice since you know he can do more.
With as many whinny man singers as there once were whinny women singers, Rice does stand out because of his interesting voice and well composed and produced tracks. Rice is still young enough to set himself apart from the masses through his next few albums, certainly something to watch for and then listen to. |