Jeffery, Jack: The Constant That Remains

"Dear John/We need you/World remains insane/Nobody listened to your/Wisdom and refrains" sings Jack Jeffery on the John Lennon tribute "A Plea to a Dreamer". It is a beautiful slice of hippie whimsy with more than an occasional nod to the fab four complete with Beatles-like horns and nice vocal harmonies. It's a poignant ballad and completely captures the essence of Lennon's undeniable greatness. The Constant That Remains is dedicated to John Lennon and is Jeffery's sophomore effort, the follow up to his 2010 debut Passage to Agadir.

Jeffery plays all the instruments himself including programming and production. A solo album in the truest sense of the word. Jeffery is a solid musician and is able to pull it off without any problems whatsoever.

The mood of the album is quite peaceful, sometimes ethereal with great melodies found throughout. The album begins with "We Need It Back" where gentle atmospherics and a strong melody slowly build developing into a nice slice of mellow progressive rock. The next track "Rearranged" begins with pleasant acoustic guitar and calming synths with vocals and a spacey vibe reminding me of early '70s Floyd. The Floyd comparisons do not stop there. Just listen to "Fade Away" with its sweet acoustic passages and dream-like qualities bearing a similar resemblance to "A Pillow of Winds" era Floyd. Alan Parsons also comes to mind, especially in "The Sirius Wall","Valencian Cosmos" and "Ascendency". Slow build ups, excellent guitar work and subtle orchestrations combine to make some finely crafted '70s influenced progressive rock. Its mellow stuff filled with flowing melodies and very good musicianship.

The album ends with the folky prog of "Carry On", replete with organ and some biting lead guitar.

The Constant That Remains is one of those albums that should have tremendous crossover appeal while still satisfying fans who enjoy the mellower side of progressive rock. Recommended!

Track Listing:
1. We Need It Back (The Modern Dream) (7:01)
2. Rearranged (5:19)
3. A Plea To A Dreamer (5:34)
4. Gavotte for African Steel Guitar (3:10)
5. Fade Away (5:17)
6. The Sirius Wall (4:03)
7. Everything Changes (4:12)
8. Trust the Dial! (0:41)
9. Valencian Cosmos (3:16)
10. Ascendancy (3:31)
11. The Constant in the Chaos (0:51)
12. Carry On (5:44)

Added: April 1st 2012
Reviewer: Jon Neudorf
Score:
Related Link: Artist's MySpace Page
Hits: 1952
Language: english

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