The typical song style for an acoustic artist can usually be defined as one of two things: sappy or depressing. Singer-songwriter Jason Reeves successfully displays both attributes in his new EP "Caged Birds Set Free," while surpassing the ordinary styles of the mediocre acoustic artists out there.
The first title, "Song for a Waitress," begins with soft acoustic guitar picking and is accompanied by a light piano. The gentle guitar really allows Reeves to hit all of his notes very smoothly and this creates a great atmosphere for the song and makes it a great track to listen to. This is an awfully "lovey-dovey" song and contains a very sappy love message, a common subject in most of this disc.
"Wishing Weed" stands out and catches the listener's attention, since it features pop sensation Colbie Caillat, who is one of Reeves' close friends. This song stands out because it contains two very soothing and smooth voices accompanied by Reeves' soft guitar riffs. Both his and Caillat's voices are incredibly crisp and they complement each other very well.
Though there are many great tracks throughout the EP, the last song on the album "How Many Hearts?" really shows how great of a disc Reeves produced. With a set of beautiful lyrics attached to an even stronger message, this song has a feel-good effect on the listener and really makes them think about finding true love.
This EP is truly a work of art by Jason Reeves. Most of the lyrics in his songs tend to be typical, but the melodies and the rhythms he brings really make him stand out as an artist. His songs are soft and slow, but each one contains a very nice message behind it and will make the listener feel great at the end of each track. Some may argue that this is just another knock-off acoustic album and that Reeves is nothing special. They must not be listening very hard because "Caged Birds Set Free," is beyond ordinary acoustic.
Justin Geringer can be reached at justin.geringer@student.shu.edu
