Press

"As I get older and slightly more sophisticated in my musical taste (only slightly), I find myself enjoying artists who are in no particular hurry. Jason Brody's To the Quick , the New York songwriter's first full-length album, meanders beautifully through 10 tracks of original material guided by Brody's absorbing arrangements, unique guitar and stirring vocals.

The songs are well-crafted, often taking on a Radiohead air in terms of the guitar: pensive with a few surprises (dig the guitar solo on "To the Grave"--hard to believe a former lead guitarist with these chops can exercise such restraint). As a whole, the album is pretty mellow, but not without drama and rarely sleepy. The songs are all a little long, but only because Brody's deft songwriting skills means he needs a little more time to navigate the peaks and valleys of each song, many of which feature vocals that range from low and soft to soaring falsettos, all with an intimacy reminiscent of Elliot Smith.

Even the weaker songs on the album sucked me in with their arcing choruses and bridges. The transitions within each song are smooth and seamless rather than a sudden crash of overdriven guitars and smashing toms and cymbals (until the last track where the band has earned the right to let loose a bit). Difficult to turn off for anyone who's really listening, To the Quick could just as easily make great background music while reading or building model airplanes.

As a lyricist, Brody's talent lies more in his vocal prowess and strong sense of melody than his sometimes schmaltzy wordsmithery ( "O'er my bed you shimmer and circle the room, The grace of your art overpowers the gloom" ). But it doesn't really matter because he sings so beautifully. He's not shouting and straining the vocals like so many other young singers trying to hard to convince themselves they have a good voice. Brody has it--he doesn't have to fool anybody, and that sense of modest confidence is projected throughout the album.

The album sounds like a collaboration between guitarist and vocalist, yet Brody handles both duties, save a few extras. Few singer-songwriters of his talent can resist the urge hit the ground running too fast, tripping over themselves at the expense of the songs and the band itself. But Brody is slow and steady, letting the songs take shape without overpowering them with bludgeoning bravado and rock and roll hubris.

On his website, Brody offers the best description of the album: "We tried not to overdo it, to leave the songs somewhat raw, naked, and instead of trying to make them fit into a particular mold or genre, we just did what each one called for." It may sound like typical self-conscious musician blather. But in this case, it's right on the money. Brody has got the goods, and he has produced an album that delivers them."

--David Brown, 2 Walls Webzine, November 15, 2004