J Seger: "With His Hat On" press review!

JSeger : With His Hat On :: Review
July 21, 2009 by greg (ventvox.com)

The album “With His Hat On” by JSeger was sent to me in butcher’s paper and a duck’s feather. A bit unusual but cool nonetheless as most promos usually don’t arrive in that sort of condition. After opening the promo and inspecting its content, I had to make sure it wasn’t some sort of hate mail; I gingerly placed the cd on the player and took in the sounds of Jason Michael Seger or JSeger for brevity’s sake.

The press information stated that JSeger took cues from the musical artists of the 60’s when he was writing these tunes and that’s definitely apparent as on first listen you can hear traces of The Stones, Dylan and a whiff of The Kinks within the first three tracks. JSeger’s vocals are rustic and clearly nostalgic for a simpler way of doing things incorporating some country-folk into these pseudo psychedelic renderings. Opener “God Only Knows Me” could have been an outtake on The Kinks “Muswell Hillbillies” album with its chiming bells and sassy delivery. “Ragin’ Glory” follows Dylan down the rabbit hole as things become unglued during the outtro similar to “Rainy Day Women.”

However, the catchy wit and cuteness becomes a little overbearing on “To Blog About.” Although it may be the first song dedicated to blogging, it just seems a little much. JSeger’s talent lay in the lilting waltzes and duets, not so much the comedic side of things. Things pick up again in “Spirits on Ice” and the yearning for the past vibe of “You’ll Catch Me Cryin’.”

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