Jay Jacobson is a singer and songwriter, actor and playwright. Originally from Philadelphia, Jay grew up with a diverse slate of musical influences. Jazz and classical music, courtesy of his father and mother’s show tunes made considerable impact. At Temple University, he first encountered world music, an influence that would later color his song writing template. With a sterling suite of original songs, a stunning tenor voice and an incandescent vulnerability, Jay Jacobson revealed himself as a striking craftsman with his debut album, “Infinite Man”.
Continuing his musical journey, Jay released his follow up album “Ready”, which included the Top 10 internationally charting single “Boy”. Framed and orchestrated in his emotional trip-hop style, his third album release, “Revelations”, is an undeniable benchmark in his evolution as an artist.
In 2010 Jay released his first music video, one of the most popular tracks from “Revelations” entitled, “Love is Love”, which created a buzz and was highlighted in USA Today, On Top Magazine, and Towleroad, additionally going on to win multiple film festival awards. Jay’s fourth album “Peace At Last” weaved a stunning trail through the ups and downs of human existence.
During this month, Jay Jacobson released his 5th studio effort “The Ride”. This is an incredible album that was so much better than I expected. Jay has one of the most distinctive voices in pop music today. This is definitely the best work that he has ever done, and surpasses his previous albums by a mile, and that’s saying something!
First and foremost, this album shows off Jay’s voice, which is pure, emotive and with an unbelievable range. When you listen to him across the 11 tracks on the album, you can just sense the passion, tenderness, inspiriting intensity. It is ridiculous that I’m even trying to describe this. You just need to hear it to believe it.
“The Ride” is an interesting mix of music, between electronic elements, pure pop and some alternative sounds, there’s something that will almost certainly appeal to most people here. Together with producer Soren Young, Jay Jacobson has crafted an album that is very well produced and very, very melodic indeed.
From the colorfully layered strings on the opening track, “I Need A Change” to the intimate narrative of “I Lived”, a track which Jay describes as, “one of the most personal songs I’ve written,” through to other standouts like, “With Our Love”, “In The Blue”, “Maybe One Day”, “Ghosting” and “Might As Well Sing And Dance Together”, it’s hard to narrow it down to which song is the best, since every song is great in its own way; resulting in a near perfect pop album.
Many of the lyrics could easily echo the feelings of anyone who has ever found themselves pulled into the vortex of attempting to live life to its fullest – in both its positive and negative aspects. Jay’s songs articulate the ups and downs of his own life, and in so doing he also mirrors our feelings.
On “The Ride”, Jay Jacobson demonstrates a uniquely focused and sincere take on what it is to be a singer and a songwriter in the 21st century. His voice and music is at once as endearing, as it is effective in communicating pure, honest emotion!
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[…] CD continues to get rave reviews from critics. The latest one can be read here: THE RIDE REVIEW. For those of you who wrote reviews on iTunes and Amazon – thank you, thank you, THANK YOU! […]