Jonathan Cavier - Premier

Jonathan Cavier - Premier

URL: www.caviermusic.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Jonathan-Cavier-1740450396233457/
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jcaviermusic

Premier is indeed the premier album of singer/songwriter magician Jonathan Cavier. This music is caviar for the ears; literally the crème de la crème of slinky, pop-leaning acoustic musings and muscular rocked out tunes with roots in the late 70s and 80s. If MTV still showed music like once before, the musician’s first single “January” would have been a Total Request Live favorite if ever submitted. Here on this track you can hear a little bit of every quality Cavier embraces; melodic acoustic cadences, galloping rhythms, up and down vocals that use his full register and stellar songwriting.

You might think the album would try to get by only using the aforementioned stylistics to make its point. Heck, it very well could and Jonathan would get away with but not content to write the same song over and over again However, “Hope” is a fearsome bustle of busy electric guitar leads, sub-woofer bass shakes, tub-thumping drums, howling horns and airy keyboards. It’s hard to put a finger on exact influences here and that’s a good thing. That means the music you’re hearing is inventive. The formula for “Hope” works so well that Cavier utilizes it again on “Time Will Tell” before changing it up. “Comes a Moment” will inspire you to grab that box of tissues with a song that describes the tough part of aging and getting caught up in time. It’s all acoustic with just enough of a rhythm section push to keep it from getting too weepy on you. In the end, it feels triumphant instead of angst-y and moaning.

“Burning Away” is closer to “Time Will Tell” in terms of its rocking birthright; a shower of snub-nosed bass, busy drums and storming acoustics interplaying with Cavier’s commanding lead vocal croons. “Are you in love” follows the same template but is softer with piano tinkling, electric guitar flourishes buried deep beneath the acoustic washes and moving vocals that never lack in energy or engagement. “Found You” is one of the few tunes that allow the rhythm section to ride the pocket and not battle for direct control with the guitars. It shows that he can literally write from any angle and have the resulting song end up a true success. “Lightning in a Bottle” is the exact polar opposite from “Found you,” because it features the record’s slowest tempo. That doesn’t mean it’s boring because it’s not in the least. The feeling given here is darker than midnight with very subtle guitar/bass trade-offs drenching the song in atmospheric beauty while Jonathan approaches the vocal element from the very depths of his soul. The guy’s as much of a soul singer as he is a pop maverick.
Literally, each track on the album is an individual with a heart and soul that really gets in your head the more you listen. This is not a background music album but one that requires full and immediate attention to catch everything that is happening. He doesn’t skimp on the textures nor does Cavier on the prowess and that’s something to be thankful for. Premier is just a smashing win/win album from the very first note to the last.

9 out of 10 stars.

Written by Wayne Toole

Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/jonathancaviermusic/sets/premier