The things Jess Wayne can do, when he puts his mind to them, are nothing short of remarkable. Any dissenters need only get a heavy, heady dose of his album Ancient Door. Chances are, they’ll soon become proselytizers.
In fact, there are times when he seemingly can do no wrong. The proof is found in “Living Small”, one of those numbers that just comes in right and only gets better from there. None of this patented intro, slow buildup stuff on this one. Soon as the clock starts ticking they drop the drums, and everything else, which includes the most groovilicious bass line adorned by a track or two of guitars closely mimicking it.
There’s an organ that throws in a couple of showers of sounds in spurts, while some of the guitars venture on their own interpretations of the primary riff. But with a groove this good you could damn near rap to it if you’re so inclined, which puts the spotlight firmly on Wayne’s vocals—which fail to disappoint.
Matter of fact, he’s got his style down the hardest on this one and perhaps “Don’t Look Back”. But his conviction in the way he sings on the former, with a twang that’s not quite country, but nonetheless down home, makes you actually feel what he’s kicking on the mic. The music is a compelling complement to his style, which really lets loose and absorbs every inch of the track.
One can make many of the same observations about what the guitarist and vocalist has going on on “Don’t Look Back”. Although the music isn’t quite as beating on this one—forsooth, that’s the case with virtually any comparison to “Living”—the cogency in Wayne’s style is even more palpable on the former number.
Dig the way he hits you with a hint of growling at the start of the lines he croons. The passion is clearly discernible, if not outright visual. What a pleasure it would be to sit back at the club, a libation or two warming one’s throat, watching Wayne and a full-piece band really put some feeling into this one.
Yes, it’s truly remarkable what the artist can do when he sets his mind to it. “Don’t Look Back”, and more of the material on Ancient Door, readily prove this point.