In Print  Home  Directories  Reviews  Get In Touch  Forums  Links  Gig Guide  

JR: Another Beginning, Another End

JR is James Rochester and ‘Another Beginning, Another End’ is either a
short album or a long EP at eight tracks, reaching around half an
hour. He’s clearly got a gift for a good pop hook, opener Breathe It
Out feels a bit like Dead Flowers from back in the day or, dare I say
it, the feelers. And Conversation lopes along nicely in a space
between alt-country and radio pop. There’s an instant accessibility
about a lot of these songs – but that said it all feels like an
exercise in trying really hard to write easy-listening modern pop-rock
music. Perhaps a strange complaint to have but this doesn’t feel like
an entirely honest album or seem comfortable. More like an uptight
rocker aiming for a vague reinvention. JR is a more than competent
tunesmith, player and producer. There’s a nice hook to Take It All,
but Honesty is not at all memorable. That’ll come next though, there
is enough here for the artist and audience to be pleased with.

Related Information