Jacques Gaines – Something Wrong With Me
Jacques Gaines’ “Something Wrong With Me” starts off as a traditional sounding singer/songwriter number with a vocalist and acoustic guitar, but this is brief before segueing into a fuller and stylized arrangement. There are a number of musicians playing on this track but you can’t really tell listening to it.
“Something Wrong With Me”, instead, sounds remarkably airy rather than overwhelmed with instrumental dross. Keen listeners will hear how well Gaines maintains separation between the various instruments yet weaves these individual parts into a seamless overall whole. This single promises much from his latest album release Volume Won and his commitment to creating and performing mature musical art is evident in every second of the track.
It is clear that Gaines’ time away from mainstream music has allowed him an opportunity to consolidate and refine his artistic vision. This is evident in many ways. His sharp visual sense is far more developed than listeners experienced during his tenure as front man for his previous band Soul Attorneys and brings added layers to the songwriting without overshadowing the track.
There’s a deeper maturity heard in his songwriting that far outstrips the already fine talents he demonstrated writing for his former band and shows his time removed from the music world was never fallow.
Instead, he continued working at his craft, learning more, and plumbing deeper within than ever before. These factors, among others, help “Something Wrong With Me” stand out as a complete modern track that, nonetheless, incorporates traditional strengths in the singer/songwriter style.
I hesitate calling this track pop, but it does have obvious commercial appeal. It is to his credit as a songwriter that Gaines can tackle adult themes while still presenting them in a musical setting that encourages listeners to stick with the track rather than driving them away. His choice to throw in a little hip hop vocals during the song encourages this commerciality, but it isn’t entirely successful because the differences between guest vocalist David Lamb and Gaines are so stark.
Nonetheless, Lamb’s vocal turn is brief and widens the song’s emotional range some without ever dragging the recording down. “Something Wrong with Me” should do well with a wide assortment of listeners, casual and hardcore, young and older. Jacques Gaines’ return to the music world has just begun.
If you enjoyed Jacques Gaines’ Something Wrong With Me, check out his official website by clicking here. Give him a like on Facebook by clicking here & a follow on Twitter by clicking here
