Jerry Chapman
"Rumors of my Death" 2CD
Self-titled
Genres: rock/pop, folk-rock, alt country
Jerry Chapman
4113 Gladstonbury Rd.
Winston Salem, NC
27104
Jan 19 - 25 2004 |
Rumors
of my Death is Jerry Chapman's sophomore album, and to
celebrate the occasion he's included a bonus covers disc with each
copy. His style is very crisp, well-produced, and accessible -
he specializes in pristine, folk-influenced rock that is somewhat
similar to Chris Cacavas' work.
The songs on this album are of very high quality, not just in a recording and production sense, but also from a songwriting
perspective. Chapman is able to create enjoyable,
radio-friendly tunes with seemingly no effort at all. The disc's
best moment comes six songs in with "Do Anything," a
devilishly catchy pop tune with some excellent organ playing. It's a
laidback, moody song that could easily be on mainstream radio (though
its five minute duration may call for a 'radio edit') - comparisons to
Chris Cacavas' Bumbling Home From the Star can be made,
though it also has a definite sixties/seventies influence.
"Last Call" is another one of Rumors' better songs;
it sounds like it could be played at the heartwarming end of an
unspectacular yet enjoyable movie.
The covers disc, entitled Dead Ringers, includes some
interesting yet relatively faithful versions of tunes by The Smiths,
Blue Oyster Cult, The Beatles, Styx, and
more. "Don't Fear The Reaper" is clearly a favourite,
with its dreamy, moody delivery and blissful sound. Meanwhile, his sinister
rendition of Prince's dark "Sign o' the Times" also
impresses, in all its gloomy glory.
Jerry Chapman's Rumors of my Death double-disc album
is certainly worthwhile if you've got fifteen bucks to unload on
music. While it isn't perfect, most of the songs are quite
enjoyable, and fans of straightforward singer/songwriter pop/rock will
doubtlessly find much to fawn over.
86%
Matt Shimmer
[Vitals: 10 tracks, distributed by the
artist, released 2003] |