Just today, the ever-gifted singer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist, Mason Jennings, unleashed his highly-anticipated new album, Songs From When We Met, for all to enjoy. The release coming after a three year period of silence from the legendary musician. Apparently, he was getting back to his roots...
Mason commented on his new album, stating "The last few years have been a personal struggle for me. I decided I wanted to heal and took a hard look at a lot of things in my life. I made some important changes, got honest with myself, and got back to my music. I wrote and recorded an album of new songs with some help from my friends, The Pines. The album was made in a barn-studio in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. It's a love record, a record about healing, and I hope it brings hope and joy to those who listen."
Although I haven't listened to Mason since the beginning of his 20 some-odd-year career, I've listened to it for almost that long and believe the sound is closer to some of his earlier music. Many of the tracks on Songs From When Me Met share a simple, yet powerful type of vibe. I guess when you're as talented with a pen and vocals as Mason is, you don't need the fancy musical filler to get your point across (and sound amazing doing it).
Rolling Stone mentioned, "What makes Mason Jennings one of the best singer-songwriters you've never heard of is his ragged intimate voice and his simple ruminations on God, war, hope and gratitude."
When it comes to singles, his proclaimed hit "The Light (Part IV)" is quite good. It is also one of the few tracks that sound like there's a full band behind him. A good amount of the album screams "it's just me!" meaning it's all Mason throughout the majority of the album. Other sure-to-be hits include "Cursive Players," "Under Control," "Earth Is Homeless" and "Magic Is Real."
All in all, Mason Jenning's Songs From When We Met is extremely captivating; truly an album you can listen to over and over.
To see how it plays out in concert, Mason will be doing a handful of shows in the states starting on May 17th. Click the link below for his tour dates.