Jacob Saul Craddock is a 17-year-old American Rock musician based out of Orlando, Florida. He writes, records, and performs original music as well as covers. He is currently the sole member of the project Miramar Drive, which has gone through several line-ups as well as locations during its history. Jacob has been recording music professionally since he was 13 years old. While living in California, Jacob often travelled to LA to record songs in various studios, before realizing that it would be cheaper recording at home. To do so though, he needed some help, so he recruited some members and started the band Miramar Drive.
However, he was unhappy living in California for various reasons, and eventually returned to Florida, where he recruited new members and formed another version of Miramar Drive. Again, circumstances did not allow the band to continue, and feeling that being in a band was too difficult at the time, Jacob decided to do things by himself, adding additional members only in a live show setting.
Retaining the name, Miramar Drive, Jacob recently finished recording his first full-length album “Back to Orlando”. What I enjoy the most with this 8-track album. Is that it feels and certainly sounds as though Jacob is having a great time recording this. The music is loose and filled with groove and tasty instinctive playing, and for a seventeen year old musician, that is already a damn mean feat.
As “Back to Orlando” switches between guitar and piano driven songs, there is a freedom to Jacob’s tone and very satisfied vocal delivery. He just sounds like he is happy and hanging out with some old friends. You can sense that he feels no restrictions, limits or pressures usually associated with playing in a band. Yet Miramar Drive sounds like a band of sometimes rowdy, sometimes bluesy, experienced rockers from the swamps of Florida, who play anything from Punk Rock to Americana!
In fact it is really hard to box, label or pinpoint where Jacob is coming from, or even going to. One minute he is rocking out heavily with “Back To Orlando”, the next, he is on an acoustic mission with “Letters To Life”, then it’s back to the grindstone with the racy punk-powered ecstasy of “Migranes”. The best tracks for me though, are the synth and crunchy electric guitar mix of “Chill Your Bones”, the determined piano style of the melodic “Gift”, and the acoustic, almost Americana styled, “Never Let You In”. And just to make sure you’re totally confused, Jacob throws in an alternative electro-synth track right at the end.
I didn’t know anything about Miramar Drive previously, so I didn’t know what to expect. Now that I’ve heard Miramar Drive I still don’t know what to expect from one track to the next, except that he fleshes out his sound so effectively and so satisfyingly. Clearly exuberant and revitalized, performing on his own, Jacob sings and plays with energy, while the arrangements, guitar work and keyboards are all right on.
Again, the thing I like best about the album, “Back To Orlando”, is that the recording sounds ‘loose’ and ‘natural’, no contrived performances, just inspired lyrics and powerful instrumentals the whole way through. Fans of rock n’ roll music in general should find listening to Miramar Drive an enjoyable experience as I did.
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