Nashville, Tennessee-based singer and songwriter Jas Patrick released last month a six-track EP titled Inky Ovine. All but one song clocks in at a little over the five-minute mark. The entire thing can be filed under Americana and blues-imbibed rock, but that would mean ignoring the way Patrick experiments with various sounds and textures throughout it.
Some of the numbers are unique and yet closer to what one would expect of the genre (bluesy rock). The electric guitar riff that opens up the rock and roll “Harpy” is attention-grabbing, to say the least. It alternates between throbbing verses and choruses that allow for the build-up of energy to burst through. There is a soulful aspect to it, mostly because of the nature of the male vocals and the addition of a choir around the halfway mark. There is something about the repetitious nature of the riff—which drives the entire thing—and the alternating contributions of Patrick’s vocals, the choir, and the drums that burst through that make the five minutes of the track go by without notice.
The bluesy rock number “Little Bug” comes off as a gentle, dreamy, mid-tempo lullaby with details that make it hard to pin down into one genre. This complexity, however, works in favor of the track, which would do well on a pop rock radio station. The mid-tempo Americana/country-leaning “Party Line (Classified)” is a bright and cheerful-sounding song featuring some great guitar work, the rage of which reaches from slow and details to fast-paced and eager.
There are the more experimental numbers as well. The EP’s title track has a reggae feel to it, and the mid-tempo “Inky Bovine” engages listeners on a roller-coaster between the gentle swaying of its reggae-inspired melody and the rock swelling of its chorus. Because the reggae feel is driven by the same instruments (guitar and drums) that define the chorus, and the latter remains relatively refrained, the whole thing flows quite well.
The longest number on the EP, “Didn’t Ask”, brings together rock, Americana, and electronic sounds, a combination that sounds extremely uncomfortable but makes for an intriguingly fun listen. The song’s ebbs and flows define the changes between either rock, Americana, or electronic flavours coming to the fore.
Inky Ovine is one diverse EP; the set is filled with so many different sounds and yet they wrap together quite well, brought together for the most part by Patrick’s soulful and rich vocals. Tracks are available for streaming on SoundCloud. More information is available on Jas Patrick’s official website and his Facebook Page.
Pictures provided by Independent Music Promotions.
First published on Blogcritics.